Destiny: Finding Home
by Chip Mercury
Summary: It is through the destructive passage of time that the strongest mountains stand tall; through the darkest of memories are the brightest of souls forged. A roleplay adaption. Might go M in later chapters for language.
1. Chapter 1

Soft white breathes pushed harshly through Veda's lips as she went sprinting toward a slope edge. As she reached the end of it, the enemy's fire behind her aided in her deciding to slide down it, her boots knocking up dirt as she tumbled down the cliff face. Coughing as her clumsy form came to a rest, she stumbled up and ran toward the nearest cover she could see: A decrepit building which was crumbling to the point it didn't look safe at all. From what she knew, there had been previous amplifiers that gave off distorting signals. Now it was rather quiet. Amicus, her Ghost, had been giving attempting to send a call for reinforcement, but as the AI had previously informed her, it wasn't getting through.

She ran toward the ruined structure, it was better than nothing to hole up in for a while until reinforcements did arrive, if the Tower did get her distress call. It was a fool's hope, but it was a hope that kept her moving; that told her to keep fighting to live another day. She slowed down as she reached the entrance and pulled out her knife. If the Fallen were occupying the place she wanted to be prepared. She crept into the building to find that it was occupied, or rather had been. Two or three Dreg corpses were piled into a corner, their weapons lined up on the wall nearby. She began to take a closer look when she heard a faint sound coming from the stairway. It sounded like...someone singing?

The female Awoken tightened her grip along the blade's hilt. It whined in a shaking protest, a slight 'SHING' entering the silence. The dreg had been killed, so it appeared that it could have just been a Guardian. In fact, her preservation instinct which was her initial response died as common sense began weighing on her mind. It was a melodic voice, rather than some stupid Fallen grunting. It sounded... metallic almost. The silver orbs glinted as she passed beneath a peeking light that seeped through the open ceiling, and cautiously rounded the corner. Raising her weapon, she swiftly turned the corner and prepping her blade to melee whatever enemies may lay behind the crumbling walls.

But there was no enemy lying in wait. Instead, sitting on the steps leading down was the unmistakable form of a Warlock. Illuminated by a dim red flare of a fire, his back was turned facing away from the stairwell's entrance leaving him a dark silhouette, but it was easy to make out that he was an Exo as he bore no helmet. He was clad in a deep red cloak with desert shaded armour. A hand cannon holstered on his back was barely visible, but it showed a gleam of metallic gold as the Warlock shifted into a new song;

 _Welcome to your life,_

 _There's no turning back,_

 _Even while we sleep_

 _We will find you acting on your best behaviour_

 _Turn you back on Mother Nature_

 _Everybody wants to rule the world._

The Exo went humming the rest of the tune, focused on something in his hands. Then he spoke.

"Come my friend, there's no danger here, and plenty of room by the fire."

Veda slackened her tense stance, the grip slipping as she sheathed it back against her hip. The Exo male seemed idle, strangely just resting. Glancing behind her at the Fallen corpses, her expression filled with intrigue rather than confusion. Had the Guardian not been aware of the other Guardians' plight not too far away? Perhaps his ghost had not informed him or known... It was curious indeed. Regardless of her inquiries, the girl unlocked her helmet with a click, and set it down on the cold floor beside her as she sat to his left. Her boots scraped against the floor, including her auto rifle which tapped a rather ungracefully onto the stone. It was pale, with 2 black horizontal stripes across it, and a splurge of color on it's trigger and rear-sight. It was apparent that it had done by the owner itself, seeing as the bright colored paint was beginning to chip. Silence followed for a moment. "... What were you singing?" Her voice finally arose, and contrasted the male's; it sounded rather young and feminine in comparison to the girl's solemn and stoic expression.

"Everybody wants to rule the world by the Tears for Fears." His answer was short and crisp. His yellow gold faceplate complimented his blue head features and his eyes glowed bright white light while his voice box sparked to life in light blue tones as he spoke. He tossed the item he was fiddling with in the air, it was a Strange Coin. The girl's eyes trailed the object like a cat with a laser pointer as he caught it and placed it in a pouch before reaching into a rucksack at his feet and rummaged around in it. "Are you hungry? I have some provisions if you are."

The thought of food made her mouth water a bit, and she reached up her pale ashen skin of her hand to smear the saliva from her lips. However, as she did, she discovered some blood near the crevices of her lips. It was drying, but it became rather apparent that she had not left the field unscathed. Not too concerned considering that she was in no terrible pain, she wiped the liquid onto her pant leg and nodded up at the Exo. "Thank you Guardian... I'm Veda." The girl introduced, offering her slender hand. "May I ask your name?"

The Exo pulled out a small container and a flask of water. "I'm Vergil-11, although everyone just calls me Vergil." He opened the container, inside was a bun with a strip of meat and butter and offered both to Veda. He looked over the Awoken, eyes darting up and down examining her. "You look like you've just crawled out of scuff with Lord Shaxx, are you injured?" His jibe was harmless, but his concern was obvious.

The girl gently and gratefully took the two objects, and eagerly began eating. With the manner in which she ate, she might convince someone she had been starved for days. It wasn't necessarily wrong either. As her mouth was being stuffed, the girl glanced up. With his jest, Veda's lips gently split into a smile for a moment; and if one was listening intently, might have heard her soft chuckle. But her amused mood quickly faded remembering her trainer Guardians and company. Her face fell the the floor, her arm with the flask went limp, letting it hang gently over her knees as well as the container which rested idly. "My company and I were ambushed by a large swarm of Fallen... We weren't ready." She quietly replied, a glossy layer filming her eyes. Feeling that moistness, she angrily rubbed the back of her hand against her eyes, refusing to allow herself to do such a thing. After replying, she quietly returned to eating the food. The silence was broken shortly however. "Oh... Thank you for the food and water by the way, Sir Vergil."

Vergil reached into his cloak and pulled out a hankerchief. "You're welcome, but there is nothing to be ashamed of in feeling loss and grief." He shifted closer to her and offered the cloth. "Tell me what happened and you may feel better." He looked over her again. She was young, a child in most Guardians eyes. But Vergil knew at age had nothing to do with experience. He had learned that the hard way ages ago.

The girl stared at the offering intently. Their anterior forms were dancing with the reflections of the red flames. The gesture was one of the best she had seen in days, and a flood of sudden relief rushed over her. In the heat of battle, one was not given the chance to feel grief or remorse, but simply the will to keep surviving. Quivering slightly, the Awoken pulled it from his hands and held it against her face, before she nested her head between her knees. The use of the handkerchief was unorthodox, but all she wanted was to conceal her expression, which contorted in pain and sorrow; a portrait of anguish and guilt. As tears freely began to bleed through her jaded veil, her shoulders began shaking with sobs which were constrained in her voice. It became apparent she was holding back harshly as blood seeped between her fingers which dug into her palm.

"... I... couldn't get to their Ghosts before they..." She took in a sharp breathe, and sighed out before continuing. "... It was so fast... I... I just kept shooting and shooting but they just kept coming..." Veda began narrating as she placed her slender hands over the back of her neck, and blood rubbed into her skin as she did. While she was trying to collect her voice which cracked, she rubbed the nape of her neck shakily. "... Abellone... Hector... Raziel... They all died because I couldn't listen to one simple order to wait..."

Vergil wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an warm embrace. He knew that pain, he had lived it and seen it happen so many times; it never got any easier. But he knew that keeping that pain locked away was a worse torment on one's soul, so he hugged her while he spoke softly. "It's alright, let it all out. It's alright..."

Yanked toward the Exo, was much softer and warmer than Veda expected. Her body was tense and the handkerchief fluttered to the floor to reveal her tear streaked shock. Though she knew she could rely on Amicus and fellow Guardians, it had been only the second time that she remembered being hugged after her revival. Sure, the other Hunters babied her, but it wasn't the same. Nonetheless, the touch rendered Veda speechless. When her body relaxed in his arms, she found herself curling her fingers into his cloak as well as planting her face into it. Her entire form racked with sobs she finally let go.

They sat there for a time, until finally he felt her sobs die away. "There we are," He whispered "it's alright now." He reached down for the handkerchief and wiped the dirt off on his pant leg. He pulled Veda away to see her face; still it was tear-stained, the blood from her hands had dripped down her neck. He lifted the cloth and gently began to wipe the tears away on her cheeks, then the blood on her neck. Once he finished he gave a satisfied nod. "There we go, all better." His eyes turned a half circle shape, giving the impression that he was smiling. He knew he looked comical given the aggressive look to his faceplate, but that was the intent. They returned to their natural form as he reached down for the canteen and set it between them.

"Now, take your time Guardian, the night is still young; tell me what happened, from beginning to end."

Veda's face lightened as she saw the irony of his soft expression contrasting his rigid features. A small smile played on her features for a bit before it sank. Blinking a bit, she turned her attention to the fire. The lights it emitted were playfully leapt along the dark grey cemented walls, intriguing and distracting her, as she had hoped. There was no doubt that Veda was hesitating, but this distraction was short lived as she kind of went into a trance like state, her gaze fogged up with deep thought. "... I was assigned to my trainers a couple years ago, around the time of my revival." She began, her hands subconsciously grasping it's other mirrored half. "They basically raised me like I was one of their own. Basically the baby mascot of their large group... Abellone was similar to what I would expect an older sister to be like. Hector and Raziel too were like older brothers, and the older three would constantly bicker. It was no different when we started our patrol a few days ago. Simple missions, easy glimmer. Overall, we were having fun and the boys were trying to flaunt their Sparrow prowess..." She looked over at the Exo with a sad smile. "The boys had a thing for Abellone..." Veda chuckled, her silver eyes glinting with reflecting light. A short pause shifted into her next uncomfortable moments. "... We picked up a very basic patrol mission from Tess, asking if we could investigate an intriguing lead to an unidentified artifact."

"Of course, we jumped at the chance, and sped off toward the Skywatch. Before we entered the Terrestrial Complex, Abellone warned us to stay back and wait. Apparently Sivik," She paused to explain, "her ghost, had picked up on some suspicious activity within the building..." The girl hung her head with a tired and sorrowful smile. "I of course, didn't heed that warning and ran headlong into the building, stubborn and eager to get going. I was prideful... And it ended up killing everyone except me. Ironic, huh?" She asked, less of a question and more like a statement. Eventually, the girl leaned back up against the wall, clutching the flask in both her hands and taking a sip. "I triggered a catalyst surge of Fallen, hundreds of them all pent up in the depths of that building, brimming near the entrance... They didn't back down even when I screamed at them for us to flee." The girl's eyes fogged over again, reminiscing in adoration of her companion's bravery. "There's not much else to say that you could guess. I only got away because Hector saw that other than him and me, the others had fallen. Their Ghosts were struggling to keep them alive, including Hector's. Amicus too was having troubles keeping me on my feet and still trying to summon my Sparrow. Hector made the final call..." Veda trailed off, her stare further going into some unknown place. "... He got me out of the radius and set off a chain of nova bombs and grenades to eliminate everything close enough. It shot me back from the main of the fight, but the sacrifice could only hold the Fallen for so long, before they began swarming again... Amicus couldn't summon my Sparrow, so I've been on foot up until this point."

Vergil nodded as he listened intently as Veda spoke, shifting his position so his elbows were on his knees and folded his hands in front of his face. When she finished her tale he didn't move or make any sign of attention as he was deep in thought. Suddenly he raised index fingers together and tapped his "nose", releasing a sigh. "What happened was not your fault Veda." He closed his eyes as he spoke. "Death is always a risk when going out into the field, even for a seasoned Guardian like myself. Even if you didn't rush ahead, your team may have decided the mission was worth the risk and proceeded to walk through that trap. And then you all would've been killed in the resulting ambush. If anything, you gave your brothers and sisters a fighting chance, a chance that some of you might survive." He opened his eyes again and turned his head, looking into Veda's own silver orbs with an intense gaze, as if an old fire deep in his memories were suddenly rekindled. "Your friends fought defiantly to the end and Hector made the noble sacrifice to see you live. Their memory will live on, in you. Do not let it be in vain by blaming and doubting yourself."

Veda glanced up, locking their strong gazes was intimidating. The Exo had an excellent point in his wisdom. With how short of a time she had been alive, or revived one might say, his vast life was most likely exceeding hers in greater amounts. He probably had experienced much worse in the world. The fact that she had not even taken that thought into consideration bewildered her with awe and respect for her senior Guardian. As well, the girl's skin flushed with embarrassment, for having been so childish, as well as given such a lengthy story the Exo had probably experienced a hundred times over. The Awoken, still fairly red, gave a soft nodding motion. "Thank you Sir Vergil. I hadn't... stopped to think of it like that." Veda wasn't sure what to say, so she gratefully allowed silence to befall the crumbled building; save the cracking fire which whipped to and fro with the gentle gusts of occasional wind.

"Of course you didn't, you were running for your life. You didn't have time to think." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder to comfort her and reinforce his words. "But that was then; this is now. Now you have time to think; time to rest and time to mourn. It's how you decide from here on what to do next, and it's okay if takes a long time to figure out what you feel is right."

Vergil turned his head back towards the fire staring deeply into the flickering flames. His right hand dropped to his side and subconsciously grasped a round object that hung there. It was the pommel of his hand-and-a-half sword; shaped as a ram's head, it attached to the grip at the neck. The hilt was half as wide as the grip was long and two horse heads faced away from each other in the center. The scabbard appeared plain, but truthfully it had been worn away from time. Any trained eye could see that it was once a finely crafted work of art, inlaid with now faded gold and silver runes. Vergil's hand gripped tighter on the pommel. "I've had such a long time to think, and many opportunities to turn back; to hide away from the troubles of the world and accept my fate." He lifted his head to gaze out into the night sky. "But do you know what keeps me fighting? What keeps me from falling into the Darkness?" He glanced back at Veda, his glowing white eyes playing about with a smile.

As the Guardian felt her shoulder tugged against the Exo's chest, her face swirled with hot temperatures and matching colors. It wasn't too often that Guardians were so... comfortable with such close quarters. Or perhaps it was just her who was prudish? Whatever the reason, it made the young Awoken turn bright colors, and she simply paralleled her face to his to ensure that whatever was going on, it wouldn't be noticed. Or at least the stubborn girl hoped.

The man's poetic explanations truly relieved her afflicted soul, which had refused to allow itself to fully suffer. Seeing now that she had a choice for her future, Veda wondered how time would toil on her as a person, now having experienced her first true loss. With torrents of 'if's' and 'how's, the silver orbs stared out into thoughtful plains, full of ominous imagination and fears. Veda's mind could only be called back as her senior Guardian mentioned the questions she too, had been mulling over. Eagerly, still flushed quite a bit, the girl turned her head slightly toward the Exo. "What is this driving force...?"

"It's the people I get to meet every day and knowing that I can help ease their troubles in any way I can. There's so many beyond the wall of the City that I feel obligated to aid, to give hope to that one day their pains and sorrows can be put to rest, and that they will no longer have to cower in fear every night of a nameless evil and its pawns, to just live in peace." Vergil looked back into the fire before tossing the used handkerchief into the flames. "We're a long way from that peace, I'll admit. But if by my power I can help those who need it, just for a while, then I will gladly live for a thousand years doing so until perhaps one day, humanity begins a new Golden Age."

Veda quietly listened, her eyes slightly widening, her pupils dilating as her heart raced. The words were compelling, true, and quite heroic. Elegant words played on her mind for quite some time, absorbing the lyrical information. However, her own thoughts began chipping away at such a bright ideal. She, unlike him, would NOT get to live for a thousand years…. Her time was limited. Yes, working toward a bright future in itself was fulfilling as he said. The joy or relief or both, just to see it in those she aided, ultimately sustained her. However… the simple thought that she will either not see the vibrant future, or fail the world, and witness its demise to the Darkness. Shivers rose on her arms, thoughts of the masses' death lingering like tar on her skin. Not wanting to disturb her newfound companion, she closed her eyes with a smile. The soft touch of her skin illuminated with the reflecting fire which had sparked up as he had thrown in the handkerchief. 'Everything must burn….', Veda thought to herself, glancing at the fire. "But if burning means I strengthen the light and feed the fire of the fight, so be it…" The girl mumbled, opening her eyes. The near white iris' flashed up at him, an animated enthusiasm rekindled. The girl's aura seemed to return to her usual self, collected and calculated looking, but internally enthusiastic.

Vergil continued staring into the flames. He barely heard the words of the young Awoken but he understood what she meant. She had found purpose again and it put his mind at ease. 'Good. Another soul saved.' He smiled to himself. 'It's always easier to face the reality of the universe once you've accepted mortality. It's still difficult to face, but every little bit helps, especially when you have someone to help bear the burden.' He suddenly wished he still had his old friends to help with his burdens, at least the group meetings would be more cheerful. But he was alone, and alone decided to walk this path to help the people who needed it. Well, he wasn't entirely alone, he still had...  
A third voice suddenly pulled him from his thoughts. "Well sorry if I'm intruding, but I got a question for you Miss Veda."  
Spark, Vergil's Ghost appeared; his companion and affectionately named 'glorified door-opener'. He had a deep authoritative voice with a hint of attitude which completely contrasted his small robotic frame.  
"Your mission, you said Tess Everis gave that one out to you right?"

The young girl's attentiveness flicked up to the small structure that appeared, her eyes filling with wonder and surprise. The child-like reaction was quickly covered up as she straightened her back and nodded. "Ah, yes. Well, at least that's what Amicus decrypted from the beacon..." Veda replied, blinking a bit as she examined the floating bot. It was amazing to see that this Ghost had much more... spunk and attitude than some of the autopilot Guardians she had encountered with her experience at the Tower. Imitating the fellow Ghost, Amicus' soft blue glow emitting as he summoned himself. The Ghost floated beside Veda's legs, similar to how a defensive or protective dog might. "I retrieved the encryption request from Tess Everis. The specifics lacked... specification, but the report said the Skywatch held an important artifact..." The voice sounded like it was being sarcastically polite. While Amicus was the logic of the pair, Veda balanced his crabby behavior with kindness. That fact was only furthered as Veda gently patted her hand over the Ghost, her fingers running softly over the crevices of the Ghost. That shut it up. "Sorry, he's a bit..." Veda sighed slightly, glancing apologetically up to Vergil and Spark

"It's fine." Spark dismissed the other Ghost's snark and spun his frame to face Vergil. "Since when does Tess send Guardians looking for treasure on patrol? She handles special requisitions for the Tower." Vergil's eyes narrowed. Spark was right, Tess Everis was a messenger, not a faction or Gunsmith looking for resources. She looked after things the Vanguard needed for Guardians, which meant...

"The Vanguard may have found something in the Skywatch, or a rumour of something maybe. Something big with not enough time to assemble a proper strike team. They needed whatever was in there now, but it had to be kept on quiet. But asking Tess...?"  
"Should've been a red flag to anyone else in the Tower." Spark butted in to Vergil's outward thoughts. "Maybe they thought that having Tess put in the request would've been easier to throw off the Consensus rather than having to file a report. Too bad it cost them a fireteam."  
Vergil flicked the little Ghost, who garbled an apology to the younger Guardian for his flippancy. Vergil leaned back, hand on his chin. He spoke as he turned back to Veda. "No idea what the artifact actually was huh?"

As the Guardian listened in on the circulating explanation, it sounded very much like a thought process between two consciousness. Or rather, more like between two expressions. Their content really created friction on her attention, making her question what had happened. Could it have been avoided? Was this something meant for higher ranked Guardians?

'Why?' was a fan favorite question in Veda's realm of the mind that day. Amicus too felt ashamed he hadn't questioned something rather explicitly suspicious. Really, none of the Guardians in the fireteam questioned their mission objective, other than how to get it done. Regardless, it was entertaining to give attention to their conversation... up to a point. Veda completely understood the error was harmless and in respect to simple logic. In fact, the fact the Ghost regarded it as a 'shame' was a bit comforting. Still, the raw wound was prodded, which made her form visibly flinch for a moment. An instinctive smile softly graced her features as she dismissively waved. The girl wasn't going to lie and say that it was 'ok', but she wasn't one to hold it against the Ghost. As the subject turned Veda let the smile remain very subtly, but with sympathy and slight guilt. "Yeah... sorry."  
The two sat silent for a moment. Vergil and Spark had been together for a long time and with that brought an ease of reading off each other and could easily formulate plans without so much as a word. Vergil spoke. "We have two options."  
"We could infiltrate the Skywatch, grab the artifact and then grill the Vanguard for information later." Spark continued.

"Or head back to the Tower now, grill the Vanguard before grabbing supplies and head back to grab the artifact later." Vergil finished. "But that gives the Fallen time to move the artifact and/or gather reinforcements. If we go now we have the element of suprise. They wouldn't expect a second attack after such a short amount of time, let alone from a different angle."  
"But we'll be running blind, we don't know what we're looking for. And if there are already hundreds of Fallen as Veda mentioned, we'll have enough trouble getting in as we would getting out." Spark countered.  
"We've faced worse odds."  
"We were in a fortress built into a mountain using the enemies weapons against them, I don't think we'll be so protected here."  
"You know we've been through more than that."  
"But this time it may not be just us." Spark directed those words to Veda. "Regardless of how we do it, we're going to claim that artifact, it's too valuable to let the Fallen keep. You could help us Veda, but we won't make you go back there if you don't want to."  
Vergil blinked. He didn't really want Veda to get involved, not this soon anyway. "Perhaps you're right Spark. It's late and we don't have the firepower. And you've had enough battle for one day." He gestured to the Awoken. "We should return to the Tower and get some answers and more importantly, rest."

Veda's gaze was going back and forth between the two, simply listening to their conjoining sentences. Two voices that seemed to battle ideals but think exactly alike. Similar to how a person battles with a decision. As the debate continued on, Veda turned to look down at Amicus. Would they too, have a strong relationship like that one day? As she thought, Amicus seemed to hear, and huffed. "You better believe it." The voice grumbled quietly. Veda's lips puckered in surprise. Smiling a bit wider than before, she chuckled and pet her small companion. As the conversation seemed to take a turn between the two, Veda snapped her attention back. Her mind seemed to wrap around and try to recover the muffled conversation she had been listening in on. The Awoken's smile quickly diminished as she thought. They both held a compelling stance on the controversy. Silent, she held the pause to think. Despite her role, the fact that they wanted to return to the Tower angered her. Amicus could feel this as his singular eye turned to glance at her. Her hand clenched as she held her face sternly. How could she just... pick up and leave? Yes, they were low on ammunition, she was wounded... they didn't have the numbers or probability of success on their side. But... Vergil had explained how he had gotten out of worse... Would she really drag him down? The simple thought was like a hammer on her ribs as her heart throbbed in pain. Was she really so pitiable at this point? However, a breathe racked up in her chest. Veda felt the awareness that she couldn't let her lust for vengeance cloud her judgement. The likelihood they would be able to make it. It was more likely that they survive and eventually find the artifact if it was to be moved. Amicus seemed to approve of her logic, as he turned toward them. "Shall we head to our ships then?" He asked, Veda glancing at the group, gesturing that she agreed with her Ghost's suggestion.

Vergil nodded, taking back and packing away the food container and water flask as Spark dematerialized. "Very well, let's head out then. But first, let me see your hands." Vergil removed his gauntlets and gloves, revealing his mechanical digits and took Veda's hands into his own. Blue and red light began swirling around his fingertips, dancing in wisps of ethereal patterns. He took her right hand first, his index and middle finger tracing the cuts in her palm. While the cuts had begun to close, under the light they had healed completely without even a scar remaining. He did the same with her left and once finished he gave another satisfied nod.

Without a sting to worry about, other than a strange, almost velcrow like sensation along her pale skin, Veda was mesmerized. The astounded Guardian could only give an awestruck gaze at the strange phenomena. There had been few Exos that she had personally interacted with, so she knew little to nothing about their capacities. "Can all Exo do this?" The girl asked rather distractedly. As he finished up both hands, she stuck her arms out in front of her, flipping her hands back to front a few times, examining them. With a few clenches and squeezing, she smiled, obviously satisfied with the work.

Vergil scoffed. "If Guardians actually interpreted the Light as something to use other than killing things, we might not be in the state of decay we are now. Granted it did take me ten years of meditation and studying my own Light to achieve Healing, but as far as I'm aware I'm the only Warlock capable of such a thing." He thought for a moment. "Maybe if I didn't spend so much time outside the City...Ah who knows. Ikora was pretty powerful herself when I first met her, she may have figured it out. Then again she is a bit more...aggressive than most." He contined.

Veda's face lit up with intrigue, raising an eyebrow at the scoff. Oh ho... She supposed that the weaponizing of Light was a trigger topic. The girl pursed her lips as she felt slight guilt. She had known no other use, and felt rather... uncultured, in a way.

Realizing that this gift was subjective, the girl became even more fascinated. How did it work? Curiosity illuminated the silver wiliness on her eyes, and she asked to examine his hands. Just as he had placed her hands over his, she too did so. Her fingers traced where she had seen the light come from, her brow furrowing as she imagined her own fingers doing such a thing. "Hmm." The girl simply exhaled, and gently released his hand. Vergil smiled as she did. She had a curiosity he had only seen in a select few other Warlocks, those who were naturally curious of the world around them rather than burying their heads in the Archives or 'horsing around in the Crucible' as he called it.

He stopped himself, he knew better than to think that. He had been traveling alone between settlements for so long he realized his vision was becoming skewed. Perhaps Veda was the kick in the arse needed to remind him. 'Our meeting might not be mere coincidence.' He thought. 'But more on that later, right now there's a mission to be had and the Vanguard to question.' He stretched, his arms reaching above his head. "We should have done this as soon as you had shown up, but let me tend to your wounds before we go. Just something quick, the medics at the Tower can do the rest."

The girl blinked, and shook her head. "I'll be fine until we get back... the rest of my wounds are either internal or substantial..." The girl replied. Amicus had had a hard time keeping her up and running, but Veda had so far pushed the thought of physical pain from her mind. As far as she knew, there were some lesions on her back. Probably because there had been a large group of stealth vandals that had gotten away from her attention during one of the last waves of Fallen that had come from the Skywatch.

Vergil finished packing up camp and stood up. "Are you sure? Even internal bleeding can be dangerous if left unattended for too long."

Standing, the girl leaned on her rifle for a stronger stance. The heavy, sick feeling in her stomach lurched a bit, and she stopped herself from excessive movement. After she let the feeling settle she straightened up a bit and placed a hand over her abdomen. "Nothing I can't wait for..." "The bleeding isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be..." Veda honestly retorted, sounding slightly defensive. She was a big girl. It kind of felt like she had become tiny Veda again, pampered by Mama Abellone. However her experience as a Guardian, her relatively young age shone through in times like these. The girl's major flaw was her stubborn desire to support herself, by herself. The philosophy had been imbedded into her when she was smaller. Since she was never given the chance to be a kid, that teenage independence complex lingered slightly on certain subjects.

She gripped her shoulder, jutting her elbow out so she could distinctly check her shoulder. Just as she had suspected from the throbbing, it had been dislocated. Clenching her fist, a quick motion from her other arm and a sickening pop could be heard. Her face went poker, her eyes widened a bit and her lips pursed. "... Ouch." She finally let out, chuckling. It had been a bit more painful than she had expected. With that fixed, her arm lessened it's sore throbbing, and she picked up the weapon, slinging across her back. Vergil blinked back in surprise and amusement at the act. She was cut from a different cloth that was sure.

"If you think it best, then let's be off. He relaxed. "It's been a while since I've been in the City, but I was on my way there anyhow."

"Sounds good." Veda replied to the Guardian, now seeing just how much taller he was than she. Her eyes narrowed with frustration. It wasn't fair: quite a multitude of Guardians were taller than she was. However, it did help with hiding behind cover.

Vergil fiddled with the straps of his gauntlets as he finished pulling them back on. "Now for my next trick..." He gestured at the fire with pointed fingers and it went out with a puff, leaving the only light being the pale moon outside shining in. As the fire went out, shadows resumed on Veda's features, and the cold bristled on her skin. It was beautiful. The moon. A dangerous place at that; but still just so gorgeous. The girl gave herself a moment to admire it, then glanced back. Amicus materialized, and she turned to him.

"Take a girl for a ride?" With a nodding motion, both the Hunter and her Ghost dissipated, reappearing in the ship which hung along the planet's orbit.

Vergil smiled after she disappeared, looking around the empty stairway in case he missed anything. 'She's tough, reminds me of more than a few people.' He called up Spark again.  
"Right, how long has it been since we last flew the ship?"  
"Fifteen years." The Ghost deadpanned. Vergil's shoulders slumped. "Bloody hell, that long? I hope I remember how to fly the darn contraption."  
"You've never forgotten. Shall we?" Vergil nodded and returned to his long lost vessel.


	2. Chapter 2

After a hop, skip and a jump, Veda's cruddy little ship docked itself in the spacious port. After disbanding from it, she witnessed from the hangar deck as it descended. All she had to do now was get to a medic... But it occurred to Veda that she couldn't be rude! Vergil still hadn't shown yet, or as far as she could see. Amicus of course urged her to just continue, but Veda quietly sat down, leaning against the nearest wall. Dead Orbit affiliates murmured their conversation not too far away. Miss Holliday could be seen diligently working around the hangar. Such a peaceful setting, contrasted to the horror she had only recently bore witness to, was refreshing. A bit... scary. The large gap, that is. Veda simply watched silently as Guardians went about their business, not minding the seated Awoken.

"Still handles pretty well doesn't she?" Vergil flew over the City in his ship the TickTock Inquisitor. It wasn't the only ship he had, just the most recent one he decided to take for a spin. He didn't like relying on his ship to get him from place to place as he normally would by walking. It made it too easy and there was much one could miss while in the air. Whenever he did return to the City during his travels he would arrive at one of the gates to walk through the streets among the people on his way to the Tower. Only in great need and haste would he summon his vessel. He supposed this time was in haste, a haste to figure out the Vanguards game and what was going on.  
"I'm just surprised the Fallen didn't find it and strip it after all this time." Spark answered as he floated around the cabin. He was restless too, but for a different reason. The artifact was what intrigued him most. What kind of technology could it be to have the Vanguard to keep it away from the Tower? Unfortunately in their desire to secure it they goofed up and he knew Vergil would have words for them.

"We're being hailed by Tower Control, they want some ID." Vergil inputted the data and sent it away, receiving a green light to land.

"Welcome home Guardian, it's been awhile." Holliday's voice broke the storm of Vergil's thoughts.  
"I only wish my arrival was more pleasant. Let the Vanguard know I'm here."  
"Copy that, don't hurt 'em too much."  
"No promises." Vergil switched the ship to auto dock and let her glide in. He had hoped Veda had gone straight to Medical as soon as she landed, but he knew Hunters; stubborn to a fault and eager to prove themselves, even the more experienced ones. As soon as they landed, he departed via transmat onto the deck. He gave Holliday a quick salute and scanned the bay, finding Veda propped up against a wall.  
"Oi, Miss!" He called as he walked to her. "You're supposed to be in med bay." He offered a hand to the sitting Awoken.

Veda looked up as the Exo approached. Smiling lightly, she took the extending gesture. Pulling herself up, she felt the same lurch she had felt all day. But there was also a sharp pain. Amicus became flustered, or so she could feel. Her expression hardly changed but she returned to the matter at hand. "Yeah, sorry. Thought I should wait. I'll head over..." Veda chuckled, rubbing the nape of her neck and stretching her arms. Vergil crossed his and tilted his head in concern.

"You go on ahead and get yourself looked at, can't have you getting an infection. I'm going to talk to the Vanguard to sort things out. It might not be pretty." Veda turned to go, paused and glanced back.

"... Leave them room for me to talk to them." The words suggested a joking demeanor, but her eyes looked rather cold, and quite serious. After leaving that statement, Veda turned back and continued her way. The girl seemed rather collected as she scaled the stairs, passed under the grand walls, carefully avoiding cargo boxes and corridor door frames. However, as she walked down the hall that exited to the Tower Watch area, a hurried Titan bumped passed. However, he did stop, turn and apologize rather sincerely before he jogged off. The Hunter greatly appreciated the politeness, but greatly loathed the pain he had triggered. Her abdomen felt inflamed, as though searing knifes had pierced her internal belly. Veda remained idle and stiff for a moment, collecting her objective thoughts. Squeezing her hands into tight fists, and crossing her arms over her abdomen, she hurried to the med bay. Once there, the girl let out a sigh of relief, and a painful growling groan. Those in the med bay at the time consisted of Frames and what seemed to be unarmored Guardians. Her care was a blur more than anything; of anything she could remember, it was the sudden surges of pain that racked her entire body to spasm.  
"Dear god..." Veda could have swore she heard one Guardian mumble: "Dear god...". So... perhaps she had dulled down the hole severity of it... a little. But what could she do?! She had had no idea about it. Everything calmed down a bit after she was put on anesthetics. The large lesions across her back were stitched up, Amicus began understanding the extent. How could he have been so inattentive? Apparently, due to the duration of the abdominal internal bleeding, she needed to be taken in for an exploratory laparotomy, where they would seal the ends of any leaking blood vessels. Before the Ghost knew it, hours had passed and Veda was only just being let out to go to Recovery. Still under anesthetics, a few Guardians would occasionally peek in her room, whispering about how badly it looked. The girl looked like she was on life support, with all the wires and things connected to her. The only casual looking thing in the room was probably the IV drip. Now, Amicus was more pissed than ever. It was good the girl was resilient, or she may not have lived. Amicus realized her lack of pain sensitivity had stemmed from her adrenaline, stress and psychological denial. "That stubborn idiot..." Amicus huffed, materializing and floating by the Awoken's bed.

Vergil kept an eye on Veda as they made their way across the courtyard. When it was time to depart wished her farewell and that she would see him soon along with the Vanguard. He immediately set course for the Vanguard's chamber. He arrived to find the room mostly empty save for the three Mentors. Ikora Rey, the Warlock Vanguard, turned to face him.

"Vergil, it's been too long. What brings you back to the Tower?" Cayde-6 drummed his fingers on the table while Zavala stood with his hands behind his back, looking straight on at nothing in particular. They knew why he was here, or rather could guess. They knew when Vergil arrived in such a fashion there would be hell to pay.  
"What were you thinking?" Vergil could hold a perfect composure when he wanted, and had kept his wrath in check in front of Veda and the others in the Tower. But now Veda wasn't here, he was alone to face the Vanguard and they knew Hell had come knocking. His voice was a whisper, but the words were amplified with power.

"The lives of three Guardians are on your hands and the fourth is being held together by the confines of her armour. Do you care to explain yourselves?" Ikora's and Cayde's gazes drifted away from the Exo, but Zavala's held firm.

"I'm surprised you actually care about your Guardian brethern Vergil. It didn't seem to faze you after the Gap." Spark immediately materialized and sped right into Zavala's face.

"I don't remember asking you a goddamn thing!" The angry shout did break the Commander's stance, causing him to take a step back in surprise. His eyes narrowed at the ghost but was interrupted before he could retort.

"Spark." Vergil's unnaturally calm voice reached the little A.I. He shot the Titan a dirty look before returning to the Exo. Vergil sighed and gave a sad look of pity towards Zavala.

"That was then, this is now Zavala. The Vanguard are directly responsible for the death of nearly an entire fireteam of inexperienced Guardians to reclaim an artifact that you deemed too valuable and you were too impatient to go through the proper channels of arranging a strike or raid. You are going to explain yourselves to the surviving member of that fireteam and to me. So let's not waste anymore time; she's down in the med bay. Follow me." Vergil turned on his heel and walked out, not waiting for the three mentors to catch up. He knew they knew better than to keep him waiting. They made their way to the medical centre. On arrival however Vergil could tell something was wrong. The whole place was in an uproar of hurried medics and frames. He grabbed the attention of a nearby nurse already fearing the worst.

"What's happened, what's going on?" His composure was cracking now.

"A Guardian just walked in and keeled over." The nurse responded. "Female, Awoken. She looked like she just came back from a torture in hell."

Vergil went cold. "Where is she now?"  
"In emergency room 3, it'll be awhile before she's out."  
"How soon will she be out." Ikora chimed in. The nurse blinked in surprise. "At least a few hours ma'am. And it'll be longer before she wakes up." Vergil's shoulders slumped. That damned girl, Traveler bless her. He knew he should've taken a look at her wounds...  
His hands balled into fists.

"You're off the hook for now." He directed to the Vanguard. "But as soon as she's able, you get your arses down here as soon as I call you understand?" The three mentors nodded and left, leaving Vergil amidst the chaos. He decided to wait until she was in Recovery. When the nurse called him he almost bolted to her room. He found Amicus hovering over her.

"By all that is Light..." He looked at the array of tubes and machines. "Will she be alright?"

Amicus's small form looked up, hovering over toward the Exo so he faced him.

"With her condition, fairly well. Her respiration and body temperature are very good. However, it seems that her heart rate is fluxuating to try and compensate for the loss of blood flow..." The last bit of the explanation sounded like it was painful to say. The voice distorted slightly with a lower, sorrowful tone. The Ghost flew quietly again beside his Guardian.

"If she wasn't so stubborn, she honestly wouldn't have made it." The small form concluded his one eye gazing down at the sleeping form. There was so many tapes over her, including small bandages that hid tiny cuts. Smaller wounds had already been attended to, of course, after the surgery. Looking up, the Ghost sighed.

"When the Traveler sent us out to serve the Light... I did not expect to find a worthy Guardian." A pause filled the room before he continued. "Many years went by where I tirelessly searched, feeling cynical and critical of all possible souls to be revived. Though I was meant to serve as an aid to the Guardians destined to fight The Darkness, I failed to see the merit and quality that these planets had. So I became begrudgingly picky." The Ghost seemed to dip it's face toward the floor, as though feeling guilty and ashamed. The tone turned then.

"However, I felt Veda having been drifting carelessly around the Rocketyard. I'm not sure if you're Ghost has shared with you, but finding your Guardian is like no other feeling. That... sensation is one I won't forget, and the surge of it lingers in my interactions with her everyday. And to this day, there hasn't been a serious moment where I regret reviving her." Amicus' eye looked up at Vergil.

"I don't know what to do without her, Guardian. My purpose, Light, and all that I am, is for her. Seeing her like this needs to have repercussions somewhere, or I will MAKE. THEM. HAPPEN." The voice turned rather dark and near a mechanic growl as he ferociously whispered the last words. He did not mean to direct his anger at Vergil, but more toward those responsible for creating his Guardian's peril. Veda's idle form didn't stir one bit, the monitor graphics flickered a bit to show a sudden dip, then slow rise in her heart rate. Amicus would have gone cold should he have been of flesh. A nurse made her way into the room.

"Excuse me, I'm going to administer a heart regulator. You don't have to leave, but please do give me space." The petite woman hurriedly stated, before lugging in a med cart. After fiddling with her monitor, she set up a needle in which a silver substance was injected. "I put in some beta blockers that should regulate her heart rate. Please call me or another nurse if anything irregular happens." The nurse continued, packing up her kit and directing her words mainly toward the Ghost. Amicus gave a nod, and the woman exited.

Vergil grabbed a chair and pulled up to the right side of the bed. He sat down, then his face fell into his hands and let out a huge sigh; the Warlock suddenly looked (and felt) very old, as if time had finally caught up with him. Anguish, pain, hate, relief and a swirl of other emotions seemed to roll off his aura. He did feel anger at the Vanguard, but his words to Veda from before came up in his mind. 'Death is always a risk going out into the field.' His reaction to the Vanguard made him feel like a hypocrite. The Vanguard knew that sending a message like they did was a huge risk, but they wouldn't have sent it without good reason or at least good intentions. The Vanguard sent Guardians to their likely deaths everyday and many times they didn't come back, and the Vanguard felt every loss. He knew that, he knew that all to well and now his anger drifted to shame.  
"I don't blame you for wanting justice Amicus. But this is what we as Guardians do. There have been many times over the years I have served the Traveler where I lost so many friends and comrades to battle. Some made it out alive, but didn't make it out in one piece. They were broken shells of their former selves. And sometimes I blamed the Vanguard for it, but in the end where does that leave us? Nowhere with nothing but bitterness. The Vanguard know this more than any of us, they may have called the shots, but I don't think they were expecting your team to pick up the mission. I think everything happened the way it did was because of circumstance and for that we shouldn't blame them. They have enough burdens to shoulder as it is. Should they be questioned for their decisions? Yes absolutely. If only to ease the pain their mistake caused and move forward to put things right."

Amicus watched, feeling sympathy for the Guardian. The AI wasn't sure what emotions one would feel in his situation, but seeing him in such a state went against what the Ghost thought to be his normal composure. The collected one, if he could describe it. Although, the Ghost did recognize that his experience and wisdom of being a Guardian far exceeded both his and Veda's. Regardless, as Vergil continued his perspective, Amicus found himself riddled with internal strife. All logic told him that his reasoning was... well, reasonable. Everything about it, really. The Light had told of similar ways, and Amicus acknowledged the great sentiment and respect that the Exo had for it. He obviously lead a righteous path. Things went sour for the small AI as he said 'ease their pain'. The Ghost burst forward, getting fairly close to the Warlock and his eye rather wide and expressing fury.

"Ease THEIR pain?! Question only to ease THEIR pain..." The Ghost sounded furiously astonished, and his volume raised slightly. "IF YOUR MORALS MEAN SIMPLY ASKING QUESTIONS TO MAKE THEM! FEEL BETTER! TO HELL WITH YOUR LIGHT LOYALTY. I WANT THOSE ANSWERS FOR VEDA. If they... feel some lightened load so be it, but if that's your only reasoning... if you simply..."

The Ghost trailed off, easing back and retracting his load voice. The small form returned to Veda's softly heaving chest, hovering just above all the wires.

"I suppose Warlocks do rely on their intelligence and logic ... But... I'm disappointed, Guardian. " Before the Ghost dematerialized, he left rather soft, pitying words. Amicus' thoughts were clouded with a near fatherly protection for his Guardian, an urge to protect and defend Veda not only physically, but with every aspect. The conflict of his protective instinct conflicted with his logic, and it angered him so. It was ridiculous, but he simply could hope that that behavior was intended by the Traveler.

Vergil's heart sank but he understood the Ghost's anger. He sat silent for a moment.

"It's not about loyalty Amicus. It's about doing what is right. And what's right right now is to not make them feel better, but to make them understand what happened and why. What happened could happen again in the future, perhaps even by your own hand. The universe knows I made those kind of decisions, but if I dwell on what was or could have been it will destroy me. I can easily blame myself or the Vanguard for the things that have happened in the past, but what good will that do? It's done we cannot change it. What we can do is accept what happened and move on. What would you do if the Vanguard were punished for their one misdeed? Your friends won't come back and Veda won't be better for it." Vergil's voice lowered to a whisper. "I'm not asking you to forgive the Vanguard, I'm asking you to forgive yourself."

Spark materialized to support his charge. "Look, what we're saying is you can't cure pain with more pain. That's it." He turned to Vergil. "Leave them be for awhile, it's been a long day for all of us. And we've got other things to worry about." Vergil nodded, he still needed to see the Speaker. "Amicus, please let me know when Veda wakes up and is able to talk. I'll bring the Vanguard with me. Good night." Vergil stood up and let the two souls be.

As they left, the room was left to silence, save the machines which gave off hums or beeps of her heart rate. It looked as though the girl's heart rate had picked up to a healthy pace, and wasn't becoming irregular, as of yet. The Ghost had contemplating re-appearing, but he had waited too long. By the time they decided to leave, the Ghost was still struggling with the decision. Forgive himself? The thought lingered for a while, wondering what it was the Guardian had meant by it. Amicus rematerialized a few minutes after the pair exited, and sighed. Looking down to Veda, he contemplated the situation. The soft breathes, the subtle motion of her heaving chest, her smooth skin... It was all so young, and innocent. He didn't truly believed that the Awoken deserved such a lifestyle. This entire situation made him slightly wish she could leave a quiet life in the City. Amicus shook his small form and sighed once more. He decided that he shouldn't doubt the senior Warlock. Vergil had proven that he truly was concerned about others. He didn't doubt that whatever mindset he took upon himself, it would be the right one, even if neither he nor Veda saw it. All he could hope for was that Veda wouldn't be harmed in this process. A fool's hope, really. But it was there.

After Vergil had left time was hazy. It was fast and slow at various intervals but soon seconds became minutes and minutes turned into an hour. Amicus had been hovering quietly, almost trance like in his own deep thoughts. If it wasn't for a his internal monitors on his Guardian, he wouldn't have noticed. Veda had sat up silently, staring down at her hands. They were so full of wires and tubes she couldn't recognize what was skin or tape. Amicus flusteredly and excitedly flew before her.

"Veda!" The Ghost exclaimed. Chuckling Veda raised a weak arm to pet the AI. The girl slightly parted her lips to speak, but found that her throat retorted, being tight and all. So the Awoken simply smiled, and gave a glance about the room. Feeling the pulling and tug on her skin from the stitches beneath some soft bandages, Veda concluded that she had probably been through quite a bit of surgery. Whether it be some sort of chemical or drug, the girl still felt rather drowsy, and she had little urge to move at all. Amicus was so distraced with his excitement, he almost forgot to call a nurse.

"OH!" The Ghost exclaimed, before zooming off. Shortly, a man rushed into the room with great surprise.

"Oh my god! How the-? Never mind! Doctor Madson! Get in here!" It was not expected that she should be awake so early. They would have to start performance checks and AA&O examinations. Word began spreading quickly; about as fast, if not faster, as the news of the Guardian's arrival.

Vergil walked out of the med bay and headed towards the Tower North, Spark flying around his head. It was dark now, the moon shown through the orrery in the center of the Speakers office chamber. The device itself was idle, leaving the sounds outside to echo throughout the room. Vergil walked up to the orrery and stood for a moment. Taking in a breath he closed his eyes and let the sound and smells of the City wash over him. Using his Light, he began to push his consciousness around the Tower, expanding in a non intrusive field of mental power. Soon he could feel the light of his fellow Guardians and the sparks of life from the others in the Tower. From the Vanguard in the Hall of Champions to the people in the downstairs break room in the Hanger, he could feel their presence and their evening duties and work soothed his anguish from the days events. It was the small everyday things that people did that brought Vergil peace. To know that people could still live a normal life even in a fallen civilization gave him hope. Vergil was suddenly drawn to an older presence of Light approaching him.

"Speaker." He opened his eyes and turned to face the masked man. "How are you this evening?"  
"Quite well Guardian. Although it seems that you have had a troubling day. The young Guardian's condition in the medical center has been spreading like wildfire amongst the others. Do you know of her?" Vergil nodded. "Is everything alright?"  
"It will be made right, don't worry about me old friend. Now tell me, what have you found that needed my attention?"

The Speaker silently stared into down at the Guardian. The mask over his face was slated, so it was difficult to detect what sort of emotions he emitted. It was only the man's voice and demeanor that truly spoke for him. The man had his hands held softly behind his back, turning his frame to face the moon.

"You must understand Vergil. They would not have made this decision should I not found it necessary." The man began, his voice collected. There wasn't much of pause before he continued. Obviously, he had thought on this for quite some time. "The instruments of The Darkness consistently work against us, Vergil. When word came to me that the Fallen had gotten their hands on the AI, I could not simply remain idle. There was little I could tell the Vanguard for fear that this was more than Light could imagine for us..." Finally, the Speaker turned toward the Exo.

"As long as you have served the Light, any and all major threats to its balance must be treated as immediate threats. That is what I hope to see you understand, old friend." The smooth voice began lowering volumes. "That AI is rumored to have existed before the time of Ghosts, and to have information of how to strengthen the Traveler... With knowledge of how to strengthen, the Darkness will know how to weaken it further. The intelligence on this subject is minimal and the time gap was closing: I'm not even sure if they have been able to access the information... I became desperate."

Vergil listen quietly to the Speaker. As the story went on he simply nodded his head. When the Speaker finished, Vergil looked to the stars, his eyes settling on the constellation Orion.

"I'm not mad at you old friend, I'm just...disappointed in the way things played out." He leaned forward resting his hands on the railing.

"Now as for the AI; you're certain? An AI from the Golden Age?" When he had first heard it Vergil's mind raced. Could it be? Not after all this time. All these years of searching and now a lead. He stopped himself from getting too worked up. It's a slim chance that it was what he was looking for, but a Golden Age AI is nothing to sniff at. It had to be retrieved, whether it was what he hoped for or not.

The Speaker fell silent, and slowly followed the Guardian, but remained standing tall. However, his face drooped, the blank face turning toward the floor, rather than the brightly starred sky. "I too... Am displeased with the conclusion. And I take responsibility for the loss. But for now, I am glad that you understand." The man spoke rather softly. Regardless of how collected he seemed, the Speaker had acknowledged that he had caught his attention. Though he would not push the man's intrigue, he took note of it. "As far as moving forward, Vergil, I will need your aid in gath-" The words were cut off as a sparatic Ghost and Guardian came simultaneously into the large chamber.

"S-Speaker!" The Guardian sputtered, trying to straighten himself out. Meanwhile, the Ghost kept going, and near rammed into Vergil. However, Amicus halted with great precision.

"She's awake." Was all he said, his tone quite cheery compared to earlier, and then again he sped off. The male human trying to catch his breath vigorously nodded.

"Yes! Just as that Ghost said! That Awoken... she is conscious!" Spark materialized, blinking at what he had just heard.

"You're kidding me." He looked at Vergil. "That girl has got to be the toughest Guardian I've ever met. And between you and me, that's saying something." Vergil smirked.

"Oh you think? Getting the hell beat out of you, running from the mob that beat the hell out of you, making it back home and hang out for thirty minutes waiting for your friend before checking yourself into the hospital and going through eight hours of surgery. Walk in the park!" He started off after Amicus.

"Speaker, when she's ready to talk I will call you. Whatever plan you have, work out the details." Vergil hastened himself back to the med bay. The awoken's tenacity had surprised him before, now he was in awe.

After the nursing staff gave her a quick check, they went to go examine some blood samples. It didn't take long after her regaining of consciousness that people began gathering at the door. Of course, a few brazen ones were the first to enter. An entire fireteam by the looks of them, walked in and began greeting her. She had seen quite a few of their faces, but had never stopped to say hello. Surrounding the girl's bed, she became flustered, blushing down at her bed with all the attention. Another hunter, a female Exo, tilted her head and gave an "aww" when she did, and tussled her hair. The girl flinched slightly but gave a warm, awkward smile. Though she was expecting it to happen, there was a sudden wave of questions. Ghosts materialized, scanning her curiously. Amicus hurried back into the room, his one eye seemed to be glaring as he took in the situation. The door was practically blocked with the Guardians stopping to peek in. Veda felt like some rare animal for a bit, and her face just kept getting redder and redder. Amicus flew over the Guardians' heads and settled beside the embarrassed and quiet Awoken.

"She is unable to speak for the time being. I think both she and the nurses would appreciate the space now." The Ghost tautly stated. Nodding their heads, a few walked by, the Exo once more tussling her hair. They bid her well as they shuffled out, and the room returned to mostly empty. However, Veda could see that some lingered further from the door, not so covertly, glancing her way once in a while and murmuring. The girl sighed and moved her hand up to her hair to softly fix it back into place, seeing as it had been messed up a bit.

"Yeesh, those fricken vultures." Amicus jested, a bit of a bite to his words. Veda chuckled, or, tried to at least. The sound came out, but broke into a cracking cough. The girl tried clearing her throat, and looked around for water. The Ghost noticed this immediately, and went off to get a nurse to get her some water.

"Away with you lot, let her rest." Vergil stepped through the door with a glass and pitcher of water in hand. The remaining Guardians took the hint and disappeared. This time Amicus did bump into him.

"One step ahead of you little friend." Vergil gave a chuckle and looked up at Veda. "You're looking better." He walked up to the side to the bed and poured her a glass. "Take your time, you've been out for awhile. And should have been out for much much longer." He handed the glass to her. "You're either very tough or very lucky my dear. Probably both."

Veda shuffled up in her bed, smiling at the Warlock. Amicus had fumbled back a bit, a bit confused. Regaining his composure her floated back over to Veda. The girl gave him a nod and the Ghost de-materialized. Turning back to her guest, the silver eyed Hunter gave a shy smile, before taking the drink. The wires tugged on her arm in retort and the girl pouted like a child. Though she couldn't voice it at the moment, the entire set up felt like she was stuck in a disdainful fishing net. The girl gave a bowing nod as she carefully took the cup, the numbness in her arms causing her to struggle in keeping her hand steady. Shakily, she tipped her head back. A long swig and she placed the cup down on a nearby stand. Veda once again tried clearing her throat, feeling it loosen quite a bit.

"To be honest," The girl began giving a bright smile and laughing softly, "I've felt much better." It wasn't a lie. The Awoken was not accustom to such dull, yet predominant pain before. It was like waking from a frozen slumber. Listening to the Exo, the girl leaned back into her pillow lightly, a slight air bubble in it leaving it with a FWOOSH. The girl blinked in surprise. It was a rather surprisingly soft bed.

The exo nodded. "You'll still be here for a while I'm guessing. It was a damn miracle in and of itself that you woke up this early. Of course," He placed the pitcher on the stand. "I could use my Healing to get you back up and running. However, even with my power it would leave me drained." He grabbed a chair and sat down. "From what I understand your injuries are extensive, but given the rate that you've defied the improbable, you'd be out of here in the same time it would take me to recover my energy." He eye-smiled at Veda; the young girl had given him an odd feeling of pride. They had only met a day ago, but she continued to surprise him with each passing moment.

Veda smiled back, her tresses falling in to her face. Though, she didn't seem to care at the moment. Despite her focus, she could feel that her subconscious was aware of the stitches. A strange, numbed tightness of the skin was what it mostly was. Judging from the itching, the Exo wasn't wrong about her recovery time. As her silver eyes blinked a few times, she wondered how she would use the bathroom. And then it hit her: Did Exo's need to use the bathroom? Did they eat? There was so little she knew about them, it caused her face to brighten up with intrigue and confusion. She sat silently, her expression showing obvious deep contemplation. The Awoken feared that if she expressed her concerns about his urination that he would be one or multiple of three things: uncomfortable, disappointed, or disgusted. Whatever it was, the girl wasn't about to try. Laughing a bit at her own curiosity, the girl stretched her arms up, the shackling tubes tracing her motions. A loud groan, one given while stretching escaped her lips as she did so. "Well, things I guess went better than expected. I mean, as far as wounds go." Veda stated, resting her arms in her lap, creating wrinkles in the linen.

Vergil watched as Veda contemplated her situation and wondered himself what she was thinking. He nodded in agreement with her observation; things could've been a lot worse. But they weren't. Veda was alive and on the mend, and that's what counted. He decided to go ahead and inform Veda on the current events.

"There is a lot more to your mission than we realized." That got her attention, her silver eyes looked up with a confused and concerned look as Vergil continued. "I won't tell you everything now; you're not in the best condition for a prolonged conversation. Get some rest, and when you are ready I'll bring the Vanguard and the Speaker to explain what happened." He stopped for a moment, he was unsure how to proceed, Vergil knew Veda would object to this next part, so he went for the blunt route.

"But we have a lot to do Veda and not much time. We might not be able to wait for you to heal before we lose this opportunity to retrieve the artifact." He wanted to make sure Veda understand what was going to happen, regardless of if she was able to attend the mission or not.

Indeed, the subject change caught her a bit off-guard. Her face went rather solemn, looking up attentively, her silver eyes locked onto the figure. As he relayed his information, she thought she could see his composure falter for a moment. However, his words returned strong, but not with what she was expecting, or hoping to hear. He was telling her all this important facts, almost like a debrief, and then... POOF! He pulled out that bull on her. Her solemn features broke her cool composure with obviously hurt expression. Was he implying?

"Are... Are you saying I can't go?" Veda's voice almost trembled, but remained at a medium tone, her volume not rising or falling. On the monitor, it could be seen that her blood pressure had slightly fluttered, which correlated with her drop of stomach. It then began rising anxiously. Her face twitched in frustration and absorption of this possibility, and she turned her face down and to the side. The girl refused to meet his eyes in frustration. Closing them for a moment, she took in a deep sigh. Amicus d been telling her to calm down, and she needed to adhere to that. But it wasn't as easy as it sounded. After prolonged silence, the girl reached over her arms, her slender fingers reaching over the tubes and inserted needles that prodded her skin. Carefully removing the needles and tubes, Veda then ripped off the tapes. During this process, her face didn't flinch, but her expression remained rather calm and focused. Finishing that task, the girl tossed her blanket to one side, and dangled her feet off the side of the bed. Gripping the bedside stand for some support, her bare feet carefully padded onto the cold floor. Veda rolled her shoulders and neck to pop them, and was sure to be aware of her bandages which veiled the surgery's work. There was a moment before she released the stand and held her balance. Though she knew she would have to walk slow, it was likely she was able to get around, so long as she didn't over do it.

Vergil gave no cry of surprise or warning as Veda pulled off the wires and got up from her bed. Instead he wordlessly stood up and crossed the room to support Veda as she took a few steps. Lightly taking her arm in both hands, he helped guide her for a few more steps before speaking.

"Do you remember what I told you? After we met?" He wasn't scolding her, but spoke softly, soothingly. "After you had told me of your escape and your friend's sacrifice?" He stood in front of Veda, taking her hands in his before folding hers together and his on top. She still wouldn't meet his gaze but rather focused on their hands. Vergil pushed on. "I said that what happened was not your fault, and that you shouldn't let it be in vain. I know you're upset, and you're right to think that you should be a part of this mission; you have more cause than anyone here. But if you try to push yourself too much, so soon..." His voice trailed off, leaving a still moment of silence between them as the med wing still busied itself outside. He picked back up in his debriefing tone.

"If anything this next mission will just be a scouting mission, to see if the Fallen that hold the artifact are still there. They've probably up and scattered after your team ran into them. We'll go and report back if the artifact is still there. Or find it if it's been moved. Once we locate it we'll organize a raid; by then you should be ready to go." He gestured back to the bed. "Please Veda, look after yourself first. You're in no condition to fight and this mission is too important." He bowed his head. "I- We can't afford to lose you too."

Veda couldn't meet his gaze. His sincerity could easily be heard and seen in his gestures and calm voice. The girl's silver skin burned red colors as she looked down, focusing her stare at the Exo hands softly enveloping her own. The touch reminded her of her own warmth contrasting the coolness of his metallic structure. However... She didn't know why it would cause such a strange reaction in her face. As he continued explaining, bringing up recent history that he had known was fresh, and most definitely emotion triggering. The man was a poet with persuasion for sure, and it was something she both admired and hated at the moment. As his head fell, and he spoke his final plee, her face went deeper shades. He was making her feel guilty for something she wasn't meant to... Plus... It had been the first time that someone had said they needed her. Even if he had retracted the statement. Amicus was the only other entity she had thought of herself as necessary to. The phenomena was dazzling and terrifying all at once, and the girl's face turned to the side with confusion, doubt, fluster, and contemplation all at once. Her lips twitched to speak but silence was stretched among them. It became too much, being so close and having such an awkward silence in the room.

"W-" The girl began sputtering out, trying to collect her coolly trained composure. "What am I supposed to do then? Just lay here and get better? Do nothing?! You can't expect me to just lay here worrying if you'll be okay?!" Veda's face opened up with surprise for a moment, the red tint crawling towards her ears. Was that really what she... Oh god. She needed this experience to end then and there. Defiantly and embarrassedly, she retracted her hands and hurriedly hobbled back to her bed, mumbling something under her breath. The girl laid back down, turning the small of her back toward Vergil. The white tresses fell onto the pillow, revealing the red color on her ears.

"Fine, I'll stay." The words hesitantly exited her lips, as her lashes flicked down toward her hands which were nervously winding and unwinding her fingers together.

Two nurses rushed into the room responding to the silent alarms of Veda's monitors. When it seemed they were about to shout at Vergil he merely held up a hand and they immediately fell silent. He gestured for them to hook Veda back up to the machines. As they did so (Vergil heard some minor protest) Vergil faced the door; thinking for awhile. He knew Veda was upset with him, angry even. He used her guilt against her and in turn felt guilty for it. Her concern for him was touching; she didn't want to feel responsible for his demise too, then again who wouldn't?. But what else could he do? She needed to rest and heal. As the nurses finished, his head lifted up and his eyes brightened slightly as an idea struck him. He turned back towards the gurney.

"There is a way you can still help us Veda." He placed his hands behind his back and bounced back and forth on his feet, a hint that betrayed him for feeling clever. "Amicus? I'm going to give you access to the cam feed in my helmet. Spark, send him the codes." Spark confirmed the command. Vergil gave Veda a sly look as if making an elaborate plot and rubbed his hands together.

"Right, now that Amicus has access to my feed, you'll be able to see what I'm seeing during the mission. Now this is important so listen close; as we go along we may indeed run down the same path that your team did, we'll need you to call out any warning if you see or remember it. It'll be just like you were there yourself. How's that?"

Veda's form flinched slightly. A little ping could be heard when Amicus accepted the codes, and they had a small, silent conversation with one another. Her thoughts relayed to his, obviously angry and confused. After some minutes passed, Veda didn't move, her anger already peaking with the frustration of being forced to sit, and having to cooperate with being put in so many tubes and wires. As Vergil's confidence in his plan to involve her, her pride began bubbling up, and her composure finally popped, allowing her irritation to be relieved.

"VERGIL. YOU CAN'T JUST MANIPULATE SOMEONE AND ASSUME THAT BY SUGARING UP TO THEM YOU CAN FIX IT! GAH!" The silver eyes flared up, her cheeks blushing bright red colors, and her arms flailing up above her head, smacking back down on the hospital blankets. Of course, the Hunter knew she would most likely regret out bursting toward the Exo. But, then again, everything about the situation was getting on her nerves. He had pressed a lot of the right buttons toward this current detonation of emotions, including trying to butter her up like one might pacify a tantrum child. But Veda was having a tantrum herself, so it would be ironic to think so. After exclaiming, she glared down at her hands, and Amicus materialized, seeming to give a questioning glance toward both his Guardian and Vergil. Veda looked up to her companion, and gave a small sigh, her hand squeezing the other.

"I swear if when you come back I don't get answers, you're going to come back to a girl who will have learned how to dismantle you." Her words came out with a pout, as she raised an arm and extended her pinky. "Promise." A huff of the word demanded a compensation, and gesture that would ease her worries.

Vergil was surprised at Veda's outburst. 'Manipulate people? he thought. 'Oh of course. There I go again. Just like she said all those years ago and she's still right.' Vergil never intended to manipulate anyone. All these years of working alone must have gone to his head. He had always been a mediator in any conflict when needed, trying to reach a compromise between towns or even the Tower's factions when scavenging for resources outside the City. And for the most part it usually worked. He was so caught up in himself and Veda's shout had deflated him to bring him back down to earth.

'That's what I need again, someone to keep me grounded.' Spark could have filled that role and at one point he did, but after so many years together they eventually become too like minded. He looked back up and Veda and nodded. He lifted his arm with pinky finger out and entwined it with hers.

"I promise." His composure was collected again and he meant his promise with sincerity.

"I am sorry if I upset you Veda, I...have been alone for a long while and I sometimes get carried away with my words. I didn't mean any harm. I had just wanted to help." He let his arm drop back to his side. "There was once a time I had friends to help keep my head on straight in times like these, but that was long ago." He confessed. "I promise to try to not let it happen again. And if it does, I give you permission to smack me in the back of the head."

Veda was trying to stay angry, but it was nearly impossible. Such a simple thing as explaining himself, combined with complying with her childish request... It was too much not to forgive the kind guy. "Pfft." The pale silver girl chuckled, a bright smile gracing and softening her rather hard features. The Awoken sighed almost defeatedly and nodded. The soft light that filtered through the room shifted as Amicus shuffled open the blinds, letting in a white glow, day zooming past the med window. Outside, ships entering and leaving the hangar. Veda became a bit distracted, looking out the window for a moment, before turning toward her comrades.

"I'm assuming you can hear me Spark. Even if I can watch, and even though you've probably completely already aware of this, you need to make sure this guy doesn't try so hard to play hero. He'd owe me a smack on the back of the head then." The girl chuckled, offering one more smile before a sick feeling hit her stomach. Bile slightly came up to her throat, and she struggled to keep it down.

"Ew..." The girl spoke out after she let out a grossed sigh. Even while she was supposed to be resting, she wanted to freshen up and be as comfortable as possible. "I.. I'm going into the restroom. Contact me before you leave!" The girl commanded, hobbling up to the Exo and cautiously giving a warm hug. It was short, and the girl didn't put as much force she might have should she have been healthy. Then subtracting herself from him, she gave a bow of her head, and waddled toward the bathroom. The medicine was wearing off and she was getting nausea symptoms.

Vergil smiled as he returned the hug. "There will be a proper debrief tomorrow; I'll have a team ready and bring the Vanguard and Speaker here to go everything. Be sure to get some rest." He bid her farewell and let her go on her own to the restroom. After she locked the door he left. Veda heard the door click with a lock behind her, air compressing from the lock to confirm that it was sealed and couldn't be opened without permission. Relieved, she began chatting with Amicus and undressing.

"Amicus," She began, carefully working around her bandages. The Ghost materialized, paused, dematerialized and spoke to her mentally.  
'You should warn someone when you're indecent.' The Ghost scowled and scolded. Veda rolled her eyes and continued.  
"Dear god Amicus, it's not like you're new to this." The girl retorted. They'd not been together too long, but they had grown regular to the other's routine. Well... him to hers, really. Amicus didn't actually have a routine. It was strange to think of her companion as not having a life outside of what she did. Amicus huffed in her psyche.  
'I can hear that.' The male voice warned. Veda gave a smile before she carefully folded the gown. As she slipped off her socks, she paused to wonder. "What do I do with the bandages? Can I take them off?" The silver-eyed Awoken peered down along her small infinity, gazing carefully at the wraps around her abdomen. Not to mention, there were several layers of that same gauze along her chest that was meant to conceal her back. Amicus was silent for a moment before he responded.

"Should I call a nurse?" Veda waved a hand dismissively, and scoffed.

"Nah. I'll make a call." The girl sat down on the bench inside the shower, closing the curtain and not too much later, bandage gauze with some slight red stains were hung over the side of a wall that divided the shower from the rest of the bathroom. It felt nice; she could see the definite lines of where dirt speckled her skin compared to her armor, the gathering scars. They were all surreal until just today. The dispenser in the shower itself gave a softly citrus scented soap, and lingered on her silver skin. The girl took her time under the stream of water, taking her time to think. As her mind wandered around on things that went from Vanguard information to her fireteam, it of course wandered to Vergil and Spark. There were questions, ones she didn't know if she wanted answers to. There were only certain expressions and emotions she had been exposed to. Her interactions with Vergil were similar. However, when she thought about their differences between he and the fireteam, her face would rush with blood. It ABSOLUTELY aggravated her. Ultimately, her mind gave up on trying to interpret, and she closed her eyes to allow the cooling water roll over her white soppy hair and soft tense shoulders until they relaxed. The extensive shower ended 30 minutes later, and while she stepped out, she grabbed a towel to gently dry herself. Her abdomen throbbed if she bent, so she was very careful to not make turns or move her torso too much. A nurse was called in to assist her, and also the robust woman flusteredly scolded her for not giving them a warning. However, the woman was more concerned than worried that she would undo their work and make things harder. After a while, she changed into a new, fresh gown, and laid back in the recently fixed bed sheets. Sighing, she laid her head back and pulled the blanket over her nose.  
"In the name of the Traveler I'm going to be immensely bored." Veda claimed with a sigh, her eyes shutting down for a nap.

On his way out of the med bay Vergil's mind was planning for the mission. He already knew two Guardians who owed him a favor and their skills would work well for this mission. Spark materialized.

"Well that went well." He deadpanned. "Who's going to be in your fireteam?"  
"Lescha and Merry. They'll do."  
"You sure about that? You know how Lescha can be a little forward." To the little Ghost, it was interesting to watch Veda's relationship to Vergil. It would be...interesting to say the least to see how she would react to Lescha's interactions with him.  
"Just tell her to keep her hands to herself." Spark nodded and sent out the notifications regarding the mission debrief. Almost instantly he got two pings confirming their availability. "Now, how about you? How are your joints holding up?" Vergil squinted at him. "I'm fine, thank you very much. See?" He spread his arms to emphasize his point. Instead, a sharp SNAP! emitted from his right elbow and the lower limb dangled down. Suddenly a voice could faintly be heard from somewhere in the Tower.  
"VERGILLLL! I KNOW YOU'RE HEEEERE!"  
Spark sighed. "Oh boy" Vergil merely hung his head in defeat. "How does he do that? I mean really?"  
"Best not keep him waiting, you're overdue for a service anyway." Spark de-materialized and Vergil headed down to the lower levels, hoping that whatever needed fixing wouldn't take too long.


	3. Chapter 3

Vergil hurried down the hallway towards the med bay. It was mid morning now but he had only just escaped his 'captor'. He glanced over his shoulder several times to make sure he wasn't being followed. He stopped in front of Veda's recovery room. After another look around, he quietly knocked before opening the door to peek inside. He saw Veda still asleep in bed and gave a sigh of relief. He pushed open the door and entered. Amicus appeared over Veda and Vergil gave him a nod. He quietly walked over to the bed and set up a chair beside the sleeping Awoken. Leaning forward Vergil looked at the sleeping form for a while. He didn't know why, but she reminded him of... He stopped himself. Why did he want to re-open that wound? It was so long ago now.  
He pushed the thought out of his mind. Veda was her own warrior but he still couldn't help feeling impressed and proud of her tenacity. He reached over and stroked a strand of hair that had fallen over her face and she stirred.

"Good morning." He greeted her.

Veda's eyes did not flutter open immediately. Instead, a soft moan of a mumble escaped her lips, as though she was still dreaming. However, as the heaviness of her body returned to her senses, her silver eyes peeked open. Seeing the gentle touch, Veda had a slowed reaction. For a moment, she just blinked, trying to analyze the situation. But when the proximity of he and his hand was apparent, the girl flushed deep red and sat up, scooting back toward the head board. Flustered, she cleared her throat and tucked the stray hairs from her face, her eyelids aimed downward to indicate her trying to avoid eye contact. Beneath the soft lashes sat her cheeks, burning red at the moment. Amicus chuckled, and Veda reddened more so.  
"Er... Good morning Vergil." The girl finally replied, her eyes lifting to look at him. He was leaning toward the bed, appearing rather casual. There was no reason for her to behave so irregularly, but she moved past it and carried a softer, more collected expression. "So what's going on?" The Awoken asked curiously, tilting her head. Those curious silver eyes glinted once more, attentively waiting for his reply. Amicus chuckled, and Veda reddened more so.

Vergil tried very hard not to laugh at Veda's expressive scrambling, but his smile betrayed him. Giving a hearty chuckle, he patted the girl's shoulder.

"Just checking up on you. The mission briefing isn't for another half hour but I wanted to make sure you were awake."

Veda blushed as he chuckled. "Thanks a lot. Jeez, scare the rest of my life out of me why don't you?" The girl retorted, returning the warm gesture of a smile. Vergil smiled and continued.

"Everyone will be here shortly. Now, let's get you something-" He was cut short as a sharp rapping knock came from the door and a man suddenly burst in.

"Vergil! There you are!" He was an older gentleman but his get up was odd to say the least. His gray hair stood up in all directions while his head was adorned with what appeared to be goggles with multiple magnifying lenses attached. He wore brown overalls over a plaid shirt and his belt held several tools of varying sizes. His french accent could do nothing to hide the annoyance and contempt from the man as he approached Vergil who merely facepalmed, leaned back on his chair and groaned.

"You disappeared before I could finish! Again! You know, if you wanted to have your back to break in the middle of a fight just say so!" Vergil made a gesture with his hand as he looked up at the ceiling in annoyance.  
"Ugh, okay, no. You had everything fixed Jacques, now you're just fiddling at this point. Can't this wait?"  
"NO! Mon Dieu, you are like a child sometimes!" The man now identified as Jacques then noticed Veda. "Who is this? Friend of yours?"  
Vergil gestured between the two, too annoyed with the eccentric man to bother looking up. "Veda, this is Jacques Baston, he's... my mechanic. Jacques, this is Veda..." Vergil looked up with a confused expression. "I'm sorry I don't think I did learn your surname Veda?"

As Vegil was about to mention getting something, the girl was left to ponder what it was. For one thing, she prayed it was food. Regardless of all the pestering she got from Abellone, the girl had an appetite of an adolescent boy. However, her attention immediately shifted to the rather uncanny character who entered the room. His french accent, appearance and demeanor piqued her interest and curiosity immensely, and the girl sat up with a doe like expression of wonder. As they argued, Veda couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

"Pfft. And I'm being childish for not wanting to stay and get fixed?" Veda quietly mumbled beneath her breath, hearing Amicus' voice give out a snort of a laugh to her snide commentary. As they were being introduced, Veda had no hesitation in excitedly extending her hand.

"Nice to..." The girl paused, her face giving a surprised and discovery look back at Vergil. She hadn't even mentioned it once! It was a strange concept, not establishing one of the more common relation knowledge like surnames. Veda sighed guiltily, her cheeks flushing as she shook her head. "Haha, I guess that's kind of important. My last name is Lakshmi. Veda Lakshmi. It's nice to meet you Sir Baston." As according to her customs, and inhibited by her wounds, the girl gave a deep bow with her head and smiled up at this new stranger.

"No need to call me 'Sir' my dear, but it's very nice to meet you. You see Vergil? A little politeness can go a long way!" Jacques began taking tools out of his belt examining what he needed.  
"If politeness is what it takes to put up with you, mine should have dried up years ago." Vergil muttered under his breath. He turned back to Veda.

"As I was saying, let's get you some food before the briefing. Spark, would you so kindly," His voice dripped with feigned sarcasm directed at Jacques. "let one of the nurses know their patient would like something to eat?"  
"Already done." While he didn't show it, Spark was having fun listening to Vergil and Jacques bicker like an old married couple. The two had known each other for years, Vergil had been coming to the Baston family for repairs ever since his revival, and the banter went hand in hand with the service.  
"Yes very good." Jacques had finally picked out his tool of choice and waved his hand for Vergil to stand up.

"Shirt. Off. Now. I need to get at your back to finish your repairs." Vergil gave a huff of defeat and stood up.

"Fine. You have five minutes to finish up. No more." He began removing his gauntlets and chest armour. His chest piece, the Voidfang Vestments, was a deep crimson cloak with gold accents while his armour was a desert camo brown. Underneath he wore a plain black t-shirt. He pulled the shirt off to reveal the yellow-gold body plate that covered and protected the delicate machinery beneath. What would've been his external obliques was a ultramarine blue mesh like structure mimicking muscle tissue. Other various pieces along his body and arms were blue as well, giving a simple contrast to his brightly coloured, athletic toned body structure. Vergil placed the articles of clothing at the foot of the gurney and sat back down on the chair backwards giving Jacques room to begin his work. Small clicks and taps were emitted as the mechanic started adjusting the mechanisms around Vergil's spine.

Veda was kindred in Spark's amusement in their banter. The girl couldn't help but put a hand up to her mouth to shield her widening smile, and her chest built up with laughs. The girl however felt rather accomplished, having been praised by the mechanic. When Vergil began to undress, Veda's natural instinct was to avert her gaze, which happened almost immediately. Though her logic didn't see any point in having to do so, her body reacted before her mind could. The girl kept herself busy by messing with the bandage tape on her antecubital region. Fiddling with the needle, she found that as it tugged, her hand would tense. A wondrous gaze filled her face as she was left in awe at the strange nerve phenomena. Amicus materialized and gave her a questioning look, chuckling quietly.  
"Lakshmi hmm?" Jacques continued to work as he chatted with Veda. "I had an Exo named Lakshmi try to buy my services once. Terrible manners she had, thought herself more important than my other work."  
"You say that about all your customers." Vergil quipped. The mechanic made a face behind the Exo's back mocking his complaints before continuing his work. Veda's marvel was cut short as her ears picked up on her last name. Snapping her head up, she caught on to the last part of his piece.

"Hmm? Oh." Veda placed her hands idly in her lap. "A lot of Guardians mistake me for being an associate of the Future War Cult faction. It's not uncommon." The Awoken gave a smile, and her glance up viewed the Exo's back. It intrigued her of all the components of his mechanical system. Though, she herself quickly caught on to her own staring and turned red once more, returning her attention back to Jacques. As he looked back with his mocking face, the girl giggled slightly. There were few times when she behaved all feminine like that, but she felt more comfortable doing so, especially with the old man. She too, rolled her eyes upward and gave a nod, sympathizing with Vergil's old friend.

A nurse walked in with a tray of hospital food and raised an eyebrow at the two squabblers before setting it in front of Veda with a smile and left. Veda mirrored the smile to the nurse.

"Thank you ma'am." The girl stated, before she turned to her food. Immediately the realization of how hungry she was hit her, and a small spot of drool came up to her lips. A large smile crept onto her face as she began digging into the meal.

Jacques paused a moment to watch Veda devour her meal before laughing.

"You eat like my grandson dear girl! Always hungry and there ends up being no food in the house! He's just around your age I think." He returned to his work going up and down various vertebrae. Finally he pulled away his tools and the plating around Vergil's spine returned into place, signalling he was done.

"There, how does that feel?"  
The Exo stood up and stretched, his arms reaching over his head and back down again. The only sounds that emitted was a soft hum of Light.  
"Haven't felt this good in years." Vergil complimented the mechanic. "Thanks my friend."  
"Pfft. If you had waited back at the shop, you'd have felt like that earlier. Oh well." Jacques pulled out a notebook and flipped it open. "I'll schedule you in 18 months for next time, fair?" The Exo nodded

"Fair." Vergil reached for his clothes. As he tugged on his t-shirt a whistle came from the door.  
"If I knew this was gonna be that kind of party, I would've brought friends." Two women, an Awoken Hunter and Human Titan stood in the doorway. The Awoken sported a orange-red mohawk and was eyeing Vergil while biting her lip. Her armour however was a stark contrast to her playful nature. It stood out as a monument of death, her left arm covered in bones and a hive skull hung from her right hip. The only thing that stood out was her hood bearing the colours of Future War Cult. The Titan was a dark skinned woman clad in silver white and gold armour, a Mark from the Iron Banner clinging to her flank. She stood with the posture of a veteran soldier with her brown dreadlock hair pulled back in a ponytail. She gave the room a questioning smile with a raised eyebrow.

"Having fun Warlock?"  
Vergil finished with his shirt and slung his cloak over his shoulders.

"Just getting some maintenance done. Jacques, you'll send me the bill?" Jacques gave a huff. "It'll be more now because I had to chase you down, so don't cry to me about it later." He turned to Veda. "It was very nice to meet you Miss Lakshmi, keep an eye on this old bucket of bolts for me will you? Aur Revoir!" Jacques headed out the door before Vergil could reach over and throttle him. The two ladies stepped out of the doorway as Jacques past, giving them each a nod before leaving. Veda looked up to the old mechanic, giving him a warm smile and waving as he left. She assumed that his final words to her were some sort of farewell, so she too bowed her head in valediction. Vergil gave a loud sigh and finished buckling up his armour.  
"Veda this is Lescha Amori," He gestured to the Hunter then to the Titan. "And Merigold Hartman. They'll be my fireteam on this mission."  
Lescha gave a smile and a nod.

"How you doing kiddo?" Merigold walked up to the bedside opposite Vergil and offered a hand. "Vergil's a little too formal at times, just call me Merry." She gave a warm smile.

As elegantly as a cripple could, Veda bowed to both. Immediately Veda had recognized Miss Lescha. The Awoken was famous among their kind for her amazing feat in the Hellmouth. Turning to the human Titan, Veda too gave a bow, extending her hands in address.

"It's an honor and pleasure to meet both of you." Veda blushed in awe as her heart fled into elation. The entire situation was more than she could dream of, especially the presence of the Awoken that Veda had been educated about on many nights along the Terrestrial Complex where her fireteam used to camp. Their stories were that of bravery, and a rise from crippling detriment. The tray had been cleaned thoroughly, save a few smears of the food on the plate she dared not attempt to lick off within the presence of the deity akin, statuesque Guardians. But the child-like excitement was beginning to warp into poignant reminiscence. The group was all there, a room full of life, similar to the warmth of her fireteam family. Her brain was smarting as her face crumpled in pain, and she grabbed her head. Hissing at the heinous sensation, her mind went sort of blank for a moment, seeing darting images of a few moments she'd rather not remember. Suddenly, the pain dulled; as did the images that burned in the back of her mind. Before the residents of the room and Amicus had a chance to speak or question, the girl raised her hand, gesturing the most polite way that Veda could use to thwart their urge to catechize the sudden actions.

"I-I'll be in the restroom for a moment." The girl calmly said, before slipping out from under the sheets once more, and hobbling to the bathroom. As she walked, her moves were obviously showing her haste, yet the smooth and slender silver columns she took as legs were quivering. Making it to the separate room, she left her company.

Merry watched with a look of concern as Veda struggled to the restroom. As the door closed she quietly addressed her companions.

"Poor kid, having to go through that kind of hell at her age?" As she leaned against a wall, Lescha's upbeat nature was replaced with a sullen closed off expression as she rubbed her right arm. "In our line of work, we all go through it sooner or later Merry, doesn't matter how old you are." Vergil looked back and forth between the two Guardians.

"Don't gossip you two, it's impolite. Especially when your subject is right outside the room." He adjusted the straps of his gauntlets. "You're not wrong Lescha, but let's not forget that while we do go through hell on a day to day basis, how we let it affect us determines the outcome of our lives."  
Merry smiled at Vergil's words.

"'All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.'" Vergil returned with a knowing smile.

"Correct, Master Gandalf." A small silence filled the gap before all three Guardians broke out into stifling fits of laughter.

"It's good to have you back tin-butt." Lescha's flirtatious nature returned as she began to reach over to Vergil's rear. He smacked her hand away.

"Oi! Keep to yourself." She crossed her arms and pouted as he gave her a 'not now' look. Merry just shook her head.

"So we're just waiting on the Vanguard then for details?" Vergil nodded.

"And the Speaker as well; once they're here we'll go over the full story" He looked back towards the restroom door. "Veda? Are you alright?"

Veda could hear the group outside. Why did these symptoms have to come up now? Why with the combination of them there? What triggered this? So many questions hovered in the ill girl's confusion. Amicus had materialized, closely floating nearby. The only support he could give was to ask others to fulfill his aims, like bringing a nurse, or fetching water. It absolutely infuriated him that he was rendered useless in the most simplest times of need.

"I'm sorry Veda." The Ghost finally spoke out. Veda had been kneeling by the toilet, her tresses falling into her face as she patiently waited for the next wave of nausea to come through. Sweat was gathering at her temple from the tremendous effort to stand, and saliva that had slihtered down her chin from heaving was dried up with a nearby towel sitting on a nearby rack. Veda took the chance to look up at her companion.

"It's alright Amicus. It isn't your fault. It isn't anyone's..." The reply was rather vague, telling him that it wasn't just about the sickness she was referring to. The Ghost gave a nod, and continually floated back and forth, urging her to comfortably sit. So far, he legs were bent beside her, bare feet smeared across the cold floor. Meanwhile, she kept on ear on their conversation outside. She appreciated the comforting sympathy, and of course the empathy their conversation embodied. However, a tight feeling in her chest arose, one that made her thoracic cavity feel hollow. Although Veda and Amicus would have loved to play it off as post-surgery/post-trauma symptoms, it was also the brutality of the fact that she no longer could live quietly, the same way she had before. Yes she had grieved, and she had survived, but what finally arose in her conscious was that nothing would remain the same. Everything would be different. It wasn't like she would wake up the next day, and have her team come pick her up from the hospital. Take her back to Earth to scour for Fallen and share epic stories, compete for Abellone's attention. Those simple, mundane, everyday things were no longer were within her capacity. Their sympathy was the nail in the coffin of that realization. Tears plopped along the rim and in the still water. teetering with struggle up to the handle, the girl flushed the remains of that delicious hospital meal, and lowered the seat cover. Taking it as a throne, Veda once again, found herself hanging her head between her knees and letting freely formed tears fall. The laughter from the other room comforted her a bit, knowing that regardless of what strife they had previously faced before her, they were strong enough to overcome it. Amicus dematerialized as she started crying, finding it bitter to watch while rendered incapable of interfering. All he could do was mumble a soft "shh" in her mind. That too consoled her, and the idle form simply let the warm sting roll down her cheeks. The calming moment was abruptly interrupted with Vergil's concern. Snapping her head up, the girl took another clean towel, watered it down, and vigorously rubbed her face with it. It was gently wrapped around her neck as she clicked open the door.

"Jeez! I can't even pee in peace!" The girl sighed, patting the wet face dry. As long as they didn't bring it up, she wouldn't bring it up. And that's how she liked it. The once feeble walk had strengthened a bit, as she stood in once place, looking at each Guardian. Her face softened, as she turned to each one. "So what do you suppose we do now?"

Lescha stretched her arms over her head.

"Probably just wait on the Vanguard now. Shouldn't be too long, but it was pretty busy up in the Hall today."  
"Unfortunately Guardian, the Vanguard will not be joining us." The Speaker had entered the room, his voice betraying the masked man's solemn guilt. "For I am the one responsible for our current circumstance."

The Guardians attention became alert to their seniors presence, Merry even standing at attention in respect. The Speaker closed the door behind himself and gestured to Vergil to lower the window shade as he dimmed the lights.

"As you may already know Guardians, time is short. Perhaps long past now." The Speakers ghost glided to the centre of the room and produce a holographic image of what appeared to be a coded signal.

"Approximately two nights ago, the Tower received this coded transmission. The Cryptarch's spent many hours deciphering it but it was finally revealed to be an SOS sent by a Golden Age era A.I." He paused for a moment to allow the information to sink in. Vergil already knew, but he listened intently nonetheless while the others eyes widened and glanced at each other, questions filling their minds.

"We do not know the A.I.'s designation, but we do know it was not Rasputin. We learned little else other than that it was sent by an A.I. and the signal was transmitted from the Skywatch in Old Russia, already in Fallen hands." The Speaker looked directly at Veda, sorrow and regret filled his voice. "In desperation for such a prize, I made the choice to inform the nearest fireteam in the area to locate and secure the intelligence. It was a mistake, one that I cannot fix, for others paid for it with their lives." He stood at the foot of the bed and bowed his head low. "I am truly sorry for what transpired Veda Lakshmi, and I take full responsibility for the deaths of your family. Their loss is a great blow to us all and I will understand if you do not forgive me."

As Veda listened, her eyes light up as he mentioned the Golden Age. An AI? Really? A torrent of inquiries swept through her mind. Such a strange find, would it even be possible? What significance did this take? What would it mean for the Traveler? However, as the Speaker's voice continued explaining, she found herself having to look back up. Amicus had flown over toward the hologram, inspecting it carefully. The blue glow reflected on his small form as he hovered. Silver glinting eyes peered up when the Speaker approached. An apologetic noise could be heard, but Veda heard no words. Well, she had, but it seemed sort of... soft. Like rather than the words, she heard the sounds. It was sincere, and melancholic. These people were all so sincere. Her gaze finally landed on the bowing Speaker, and those same eyes flashed open. Suddenly taking in the stimuli of the room, her senses began awakening her conscious. Veda's soft pair of lips opened to speak, but was found to be rendered speechless. There were so many emotions, in such a tense and silent moment. The girl managed to slip out from the blankets, and scoot over toward her superior. She too, bent low, her abdomen then in turn throbbed in retort. However, in her bow, she gently knocked her forehead against the Speaker's in a gentle gesture of acknowledgement. Her voice almost didn't leave her throat, but with some effort, she spoke.

"Speaker... I may not be able to recover from this loss, but." A pause followed, as the young Awoken gathered her words. "I mustn't allow my own feelings to forsake others. You have shown sincerity, and in appreciation, I will forgive you. However," The girl lifted her head, and looked straight at the Speaker with a deeply serious and determined expression, then extended her pinky. "I expect nothing less than vengeance against the Fallen for their forced sacrifice." Amicus had turned back towards his Guardian, simply staring in adoration and shock.

Although they couldn't see it, everyone could tell the Speaker was smiling as he took Veda's pinky in his own.

"Of this you can be assured my dear guardian. They're destruction will be swift and terrible."  
"Damn straight." Lescha chimed while Merry nodded in agreement. Vergil was silent. Like Amicus, he was taken away by Veda's conviction. Once again he felt pride for the young awoken. She held herself well, especially for one so young; her determination coupled with her strength was something to be admired, and wary, of. 'Depending on who you are.' The exo smiled to himself. 'But I think we are safe from her wrath for the most part.' He turned back to the Speaker's ghost.

"Indeed. But if we're going to have any hope of retrieving this AI we'll need to coordinate a route." The Speaker released Veda's hand and refocused his attention.

"Yes, let us not make the same mistake again and revenge is sure to be ours." The image of the transmission disappeared, replaced now with a map of the Cosmodrome.

"Veda's report indicated that the Fallen's numbers have at least tripled in the Skywatch." Vergil continued. "But we may have one very slight advantage. The Hive in the area will have noted the obvious threat and responded to it in force. If so, the Skywatch itself would be the most secure, but the lunar complex will be only lightly manned."  
"But if that's the case, then the Fallen also have a chance of warning their hierarch's of our approach, which would give them time to escape with the AI if they haven't already." Merry interjected. "Shouldn't our best bet be to hit them where they're most occupied? If we go via the Shore through the terrestrial complex it would be a strike where they would least expect it." Vergil nodded.

"There's that too. But I was merely laying out our options. A hammer blow or a scalpel incision is what we're looking at here."  
Lescha stepped forward. "I'm with Merry. They won't be expecting us to come at 'em swinging. Plus, the more Hive the better." She cracked her knuckles, eager to get out into the field. It was becoming clear she was more interested with killing Hive than Fallen. Vergil let out a soft sigh. He knew bringing Lescha was a trade off, her hatred of the Hive somehow still got the better of her, though thankfully it was only outside of combat. When it came to face to face encounters she would play it smart. He turned back to Veda.

"I know that it may not be the best time Veda, but is there anything you can remember about the battle that may help us? A target figure or some feature that could help?"

The quick trading of ideas and suggestions seemed all good to her. Veda could feel Lescha's fiery determination to fight the Hive, and she held some respect for her for that. To have such a strong reason and be able to fight for that reason must be a successful feeling. Though she had to wonder how this objective may impede on the larger picture. But that idea barely glimpsed Veda's thoughts as Amicus quickly reminded her of the warrior's famous tales of valiance. Once again, there was a question of action, which held a fine line between brutality or precision. The delicacy of the circumstances and the shrinking time gap was making all of this a bit overwhelming. Now being turned to for answers was a bit shocking. Clenching the bed sheets before her, she tried collecting her thoughts and memories. A very familiar pain rang through the back of her head, causing her to wince. Apparently, recalling that time was much more difficult than anticipated. With a deep breathe, the girl's lungs filled with air; as she hoped, it sent oxygen to her brain which allowed her to lax the pain. Sighing out the rest, she slowly began nodding her head, the soft white tresses bobbing.

"I remember there were a pair of Archons... Amicus got a good glimpse of them, but..." The young awoken shook her head, a silver dainty hand which had become callussed over the years was drawn to her forehead as she rubbed her temple.

"Neither of us recognized who they were." With that, Veda prayed that her information may become useful. Surely, there must have been a great significance to a PAIR of Archons. It didn't seem likely for two to be within the another House's presence without some notable reasoning. Logic began whirring through her head as she shifted back into her seat. Glancing up at Lescha and Merry, the female Hunter lingered on how they thought of her. Could they consider her as trustworthy for information, considering her handicapped position. Amicus too wondered slightly, seeing as how not even he could properly determine if her memory had been influenced by her trauma.

The room went quiet for a moment. Lescha and Merry glanced at each other with questioning looks while the Speaker remained fixated on the hologram before them. Vergil-11 merely leaned back into his chair and rested his hand on his chin.  
"It's not uncommon for there to be more than one Archon in a House." He explained. "However, those are usually disciples or trainees under the main one. Two actual Archons out in the field? That's quite interesting."  
Merry looked over to Vergil. "You know who these guys are?"  
Vergil shook his head. "All I have are theories, could be anyone from any House." He stood and gestured at the hologram. "Until we get there, we don't know who we're up against. Devils, Kings, hell; maybe even the Wolves who broke away from the Reef. We must be cautious regardless of what we're up against."  
Lescha looked up. "Didn't think you were that well informed of recent events Vergil.' She teased. "I thought you were living under a rock?" He gave a small huff, then chuckled.  
"Even I have eyes and ears everywhere my dear. It all depends on who you listen too." He winked at Veda, as if cluing her into his private joke. "And I don't live under a rock. I am out helping those in the frontier. Excuse me if I'm too busy to collect every little bounty the Vanguard give out."  
Lescha raised her arms in defeat.

"Sorry I asked." She giggled.  
"Let's get back on track." Merry butted in. She strode over to the hologram and the Speaker's Ghost displayed the map of the Cosmodrome. "We'll head through the Terrestrial Complex into the Skywatch. With luck and speed we can intercept these Archon Priests before they have a chance to leave with the AI if they haven't already; in which case we find out where they're headed and take it from them then. Sound good?" The team nodded, though Vergil did so with some reluctance. He'd rather not take an enemy directly unless he had no choice, but he was willing to compromise with Merry. He didn't doubt his own skills, just his luck.  
"Very well." He stood up and brushed off his cloak. "We leave in thirty, prepare yourselves." Both women gave him a nod before turning to Veda.  
"Don't worry kid." Merry placed a hand on the bed-end. "We'll keep an eye out for your teams Ghosts. If anything it'll be something to lay to rest."  
"Take care of yourself." Lescha chimed in before they both saluted the Speaker and left. The Speaker himself gave a nod to Vergil and bowed to Veda as he too exited the room, leaving the young awoken and the old exo alone. Vergil turned to Veda.

"Any questions before I go?"

All of this textbook was basically fresh and new information. Much like a sponge, Veda soaked up, her silver curiosity scanning from person to person, listening to the banter and what not as well. Though the young Awoken liked to think she had most things figured out, the way they simply came to conclusion with relative ease, rather than arguing, was quite impressive. Her fireteam couldn't even agree on when they wanted to head back to the tower. Due to her being the youngest, 8 out of 10 times, the choice ended with her opinion. It was much easier persuading a conclusion once she mentioned food and rest. Mostly the food though. A smile softly graced her lips before her attention returned to her. So they had made a resolve. The girl took in the women's comments, bowing her head and giving a confident smile. Not a single seed of doubt in their words could spring forth from Veda, as she had no reason to believe they wouldn't put their best efforts in. That's why they were so renown. With their exit, the room's hum of machinery and medical equipment became much more prominent, which emphasized the room's emptiness. The Hunter prayed that sleep would quickly overcome her after they left. Turning to Vergil, she searched his face. What should she ask? Who knows how much time it would take to ask all these questions and answer them as well. After a bit of silence, her lashes fluttered down, her gaze hazed with a milky gloss.

"No... Not now." She replied, her voice soft and a bit hesitant. However, she did look up with a soft smile, and a knitted brow. Her hand cautiously reached toward the Exo, taking hold of the fingers by his side.

"Do be careful Vergil." The young woman paused, and then continued. "You as well Spark."

Vergil smiled and took Veda's hand and placed both of his over hers.  
"I will be fine my dear girl. You just focus on getting better."  
"After all," Spark materialized. "He's got me to watch his back. Don't worry, we got this." If a Ghost could wink, Spark would have.  
Vergil laid Veda's hand back onto the bed.

"I will send telemetry to Amicus as soon as we reach the Forgotten Shore. If you so wish you can watch as we proceed through the mission." He stood up straight and fixed his cloak.

"I must prepare for the fight. Farewell for now Veda Lakshmi. I wish you a quick recovery, but you may well be on your way already." He let out a short laugh and gave her a comforting squeeze on her shoulder before he went for the door and left, leaving the girl alone. Vergil marched to the hanger, a fire growing inside him as the anticipation of battle began to reveal itself.


	4. Chapter 4

Vergil sat thinking to himself as his fireteam's ships flew through the skies towards the Cosmodrome. The plan was relatively simple: storm the Skywatch and hit the Fallen as hard as they could and retrieve the AI, and failing that, find out where it was going. Simple in theory, but he knew damned well that the plan will be thrown out the window as soon as they make contact with the enemy. His ship shuddered as it hit turbulence but stayed on course. They had been flying for hours and each minute that ticked by made Vergil antsy. Normally he would have been at ease but he had been searching for a lead like this for so long that the anticipation and desire to confirm the origins of this AI had begun to worry him. He cast his thoughts aside as Merry's voice broke out over the comms.  
"Alright, we're dropping in the LZ in 5. Vergil, this is your mission, lead the way." Vergil smiled. Merry liked to have some sort of control, on and off the battlefield. It came from being a marine. Out of all the Golden Age she lived through that was the only thing she could remember. As a Sergeant Major she called a lot of the shots on the field back in the day, but now there was no marine corp, no North American Empire to serve. Just a barely held together City under a broken god, but she held on and now was working to build her beloved navy anew. Vergil could sympathize.  
"Very well. Spark, contact Amicus and begin telemetry feed as soon as we hit the ground."  
"Already on it."  
The three ships dove down through the clouds and made way to the Forgotten Shore. As they hovered over the cliffs looking out above the water the three guardians dropped down to the ground. Vergil knelled up and down stretching his legs. Jacques had done well, he felt no joint aches or pain. He opened a channel to Amicus.  
"Amicus? We've reached the shore and we're heading to the Skywatch, can you read me?"

As the hours had passed, things started settling down at the Tower. Though Veda for the first hour and a half was rather restless, her nurses had checked her vitals which had began going crazy. A nervous pit in her stomach had her adrenaline up, the curious silver orbs now firm and rigid. Not to mention, her heart rate wasn't exactly slow either. Seeing this, they gave her a sedative. However, the decision to do so was fought by the girl herself, knowing that the situation called for her cooperation with the group to be on the ground. If she wasn't going to be in the firefight, the last thing she would want was to be out during the start of it. After quite the argument, deeply reluctant consent was given for the injection. Nerves began settling shortly after it was in her veins; her soft white tresses dropping onto the pillow soon enough. Amicus felt some relief shortly after she passed out, a constant breath rising her chest and shoulders softly. The passing hours felt like days to the small Ghost, but cut short as the channel connected. Hearing Vergil's voice perked him up, his singular eye darting toward his Guardian.  
"You're connected Vergil. You on the ground yet?" His cybernetic voice crackled.

"Affirmative, we're moving up to the Terrestrial complex now." Vergil pulled his hand cannon from his back and checked the magazine as his teammates performed a final weapons check. Lescha looked up from her rifle.

"That the kid? Is she awake?" Vergil raised a hand telling her to slow down. He had connected the fireteams comms to his telemetry so he knew Amicus heard her, but he re-asked the question anyway. "Is Veda awake?"  
The redundancy of the question was not appreciated by the little Ghost, who simply huffed and glanced at the resting figure. Without even a hint of awareness of their conversation, he simply sighed slightly.

"No. A nurse came in and actually managed to convince Veda to take some sedative. She's out like a light." The Ghost responded, his little form floating over to the opposite side of the room slowly, as if he was beginning some nervous pace. " Should I try to wake her?" Amicus continued.

Vergil shook his head. "Only if you think it necessary, but having her worrying about us will not help her heal. Keep recording unless I tell you otherwise." Vergil readied his cannon and nodded at his team. "Let's head out, we're losing time."  
The trio summoned their sparrows and blasted towards the complex. Since the entrance did not lie far, they arrived and dismounted quickly. Vergil took point and they walked through the building at a quick pace, one eye kept on the radar for any signs of the enemy.  
"Spark, any comm chatter?" Vergil felt as if something was off. They hadn't met any Fallen or Hive in the past ten minutes. Not even any signs of recent activity from anyone.  
"Not really picking up anything yet" Vergil's ghost responded. "We may yet get something when we get closer to the Skywatch. Just keep your guard up."  
"Copy that." Merry acknowledged.  
They passed through the building and stepped back out into the daylight, the open area where the array Rasputin was said to use to reconnect to the inner planets. Still they had yet to meet the enemy.  
"Hang on! I got something!" The fireteam stopped as Spark spoke over the radio. "The Fallen are trying to clear the Skywatch of Hive so their Archons can take off, they're still here! If we hurry we may be able to crash the party."  
Vergil nodded. "Double-time it, let's go!" The fireteam exploded into full sprint, navigating the close rusted corridors as they hurried to the Skywatch.  
"Gotcha."

The Ghost curtly replied, his little form turning to face his partner. While she laid so idle, he couldn't help but wonder if she could hear, even in her sleep. For Veda, that had already become a truth. Seeing as her and her Ghost were inseparable entities, it wasn't strange that she was hearing whatever he was hearing. However, it wasn't as some might expect. The background noise was muffled, as though hearing it through deep water. Strikingly, the voices were more like repetitive nightmarish whispers, familiar voices sounding more like demons than fellow Guardians. Guilt, fear, worry or any of those emotions might have explained the dark dreams she had, but Veda wasn't one to explain personal things like that. Amicus was always told never to peer into her sleep, and he kept to his word.  
There was only one issue the Ghost took with Vergil's reply: restricting footage. Even if things got dicey, Vergil was no-one to tell Veda what she could or couldn't see. And Amicus couldn't bring himself to follow up on those orders. He made the decision of not making any promises, keeping those words to himself silently. The small blue light flickered as he watched, occasionally viewing through the other Guardian's vision, as though flipping through channels on a TV.  
In the Tower, the commotion of the severely injured Awoken girl had died down, but curiosity and adventure still had some ambers littered in the dying pit of them. In the doorway, a couple of older Guardians peeked in, one leaning against the doorway and the other silent, more reserved and with crossed arms. Amicus might have glared at them, if he could. However, he simply barked at them to leave, which they frustratedly obliged to, but not without getting a good look. For someone who was supposed to be dead, she wasn't looking too bad. Those harsh thoughts on the girl might have gotten out if a nurse hadn't stopped them on the way. Seeing as they had exited the room, the woman answered their inquiries, and the boys guiltily realized what a predicament she had been through. Now there was a story to glaze over for dinner.

As they ran through the building, Vergil, Merry and Lescha were silent. There was no need for words now. The mission was clear and battle was waiting ahead. As they rounded a corner a squad of vandals, dregs and a captain stood waiting. The captain had received orders to stop anything from entering or leaving, but it was not prepared for a Guardian like this. The Guardian with the Undrawn Sword. It had heard the stories of his battle with the Kell and to now meet him in captain froze in fear, its hands gripping tighter to its two shock sabres. While the titan and the hunter fired their weapons into the dregs and vandals, the warlock ran straight for the captain. Vergil's right hand glowed with violet energy as he jumped towards the captain. Reaching forward Vergil gripped the captain's upper left arm, and tore it off.

The captain screeched as it gripped the stump, falling to its knees as blood and ether spilled out. In one smooth motion, Vergil swung the dismembered arm, still still tightly gripping the shock sabre and beheaded the captain, ending its scream. Out of the remaining Fallen were two dregs who watched their captain fall with ease. They had a moment to look at each other and turn to flee before Vergil fired two rounds, exploding their heads in a flush of ether and spectral matter.  
He took note of the colours of their armour. A steel grey with red markings. 'So it is them.' Vergil's eyes narrowed. 'Guess it was only a matter of time before they crawled back out of the woodwork.' He turned to his fireteam, who looked somewhat in awe of what he just did.  
"We're wasting time." He ripped the limb away from the sabre and held it in his left hand, testing the weight. It was a good blade, it would do for now. Lescha and Merry looked at each other and shrugged. Questions for later, they had a mission to complete.

In the Tower, Amicus might have flinched from seeing such a gory attack. Unlike Veda, he seemed to take some pleasure in taking power over a situation (as in the enemy). The gaudy attack, from his perspective, was unnecessary. Of course, his partner would probably fawn over it later, wondering if she herself could do it. But the both of them knew that she couldn't, or rather wouldn't, do it. The young Awoken's duties lied with doing the mission, rather than expressing any hate or power over them. However, Amicus thought the attack was worth some praise, while he might never express that to the Exo personally. The little Ghost was also taking the feed from Spark, listening in on the Fallen's chatter while things went on. The down time of running and moving around the complex was a prime opportunity to check in on their surroundings, and Veda. It was strange, seeing those colors on a dreg, and the unfamiliarity seemed contagious to the Guardians as well. All save, for Vergil. That look of recognition concerned Amicus, leaving him to ponder what, and to what extent, did Vergil know. Even more importantly, what was he keeping from the group about this knowledge? Still, Amicus remained quiet and watched as they continued their trek toward this mysterious AI.

The closer the group got to the Skywatch, the louder the sounds of battle and explosions became. As they approached the entrance, Lescha skidded in front to scout the battlefield, only to see a scorch missile flying towards her.  
"Aw shi-"

The missile detonated as it hit Lescha full force, knocking back the two remaining guardians. Vergil's sensors went off ringing as he sat up, but he shook it off. He looked over to see Lescha's ghost still intact. Nodding with a sigh of relief, he helped Merry back on her feet. The titan simply cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders as she readied herself again.  
Vergil approached the entrance again, taking cover on the left side as Merry took the right. As he revived Lescha, Vergil dared a glance to the chaos outside. The Fallen and Hive were tearing into each other in full assault. Wolves, Devils and the dark armoured fallen were desperately trying to hold off the minions of Crota. Captains clashed swords with Knights, vandals picked off hallowed thrall with wire rifles and wizards traded energy bolts with scorch cannon fire.  
Lescha was returned to the land of the living and took cover behind Vergil.  
"Fuck that hurt." She winced.  
"That's a ton of mess between us and the target." Merry pointed out. "Any ideas?"  
Vergil looked out again, but he couldn't quite see the other side of the field leading to the lunar complex.

"We're going to have to make a window. Get out your rockets and prep for a beeline to the lunar complex."  
Lescha and Merry obliged, pulling out their rocket launchers and releasing the safeties. Vergil reloaded his hand cannon and flicked on the swords arc charge.  
"Ready? Let's go!"

The trio sprang from cover, charging over the bluff of rock and rusted out vehicles. Lescha took the left, firing into the Hive as she jumped over the edges to land on the shack that stood over the battlefield to reload. Merry rose up over the right, aiming her rockets at the far Fallen before summoning her super energy to launch herself down into the enemy and jumped again, firing off rockets further forward. Vergil ran straight up the middle, and leaped down into the fray. The bombardment of rockets had surprised the enemy and confusion soon ran rampant as he strode through the field, hacking and cutting while firing his cannon into either side. A Knight raised its great sword to strike down, but Vergil twirled away before running up and cleaving its head in two. He back-flipped off the body and sprinted through Merry's strike zone which still gave off arc energy, repulsing any foe who dared to cross it. As Merry sprinted forward, auto rifle blazing away Lescha hopped back down to follow, her shotgun blasting anything that got to close. Vergil brought up the rear as they sprinted for the shelter of the lunar complex. But as he closed the distance between him and his team, a barrage of arc bolts rained down on him. Merry and Lescha turned just in time to see their friend fall, calling out in surprise and anger. Lescha fired up her Golden Gun and blasted three Knights that approached Spark, but they only staggered back before resuming their assault, raising their swords to strike the little ghost. As the two women continued firing their remaining rockets and weapons into the Knights, the Wizard that struck Vergil closed in energy crackling around its hands.  
Suddenly, a great flame arose were Vergil fell, the Knights shielding their dark eyes from the light. There Vergil stood, as if he had never fallen. The Wizard paused and the Knights regained their sight to watch as the Warlock withdrew his pistol and took a stance with the fallen sword.  
"My turn."  
With his words fire spewed from the blade as Vergil struck the first Knight from shoulder to hip, turning it to ash. The two remaining Knights strode forward but Vergil flew away from their blades, raining down firebolt grenades. The assault, too much for the already weakened hive wretches, blasted them apart, leaving the Wizard to remain.  
Vergil released his glide and he fell to the ground, rolling to soften his landing. He stood up just in time to see the Wizard come screaming towards him at top speed. Acting on instinct, Vergil threw the blade at the wizards face. It pierced the skull straight through, stopping at the hilt before the body dissipated into ash and dark magic. His foes vanquished, Vergil straightened up and dusted himself off, his cloak of fire extinguished. He looked down and slipped his foot underneath the hilt of the sword and kicked it up off the ground, catching it in his hand. He turned and ran to meet his team. He called back to them as he blew past them, running straight into the hall.  
"Let's go!"

The women, still in awe of what they just witnessed, snapped back to reality and followed suit, reloading their weapons as they went. Vergil was waiting for them a moment at the end of the hall before jogging into the next room. He slowed down again as he neared the door to the more open area, scanning through the broken windows. No Fallen waited for them ahead, his hud giving no indication of any enemy nearby. He pulled out his hand cannon as his team formed up behind him. He glanced back to see them ready, and cautiously stepped out into the larger room.  
At soon as he took a step out, a large hand came down from above and grabbed him by the head, lifting him up to bring him to the face of his attacker. Behind his helmet Vergil's eyes widened. "Wrevnix."  
The Fallen that gripped his face wore dark grey armour, red markings running down like blood along the four-horned helm. Its lower arms carried two large axes that sparked with arc energy. It roared in Vergil's face and slammed him down into the roof of the small room. It picked Vergil up, turned and slammed him down again into another part of the roof, then again into an air conditioner. Vergil heard his helmet crack as he shouted in pain. The Archon Priest continued its attack as Lescha and Merry raced out of the room and raised their weapons. They froze as a voice in broken english came up from behind them.  
"You should worry for yourselves!"  
Another Archon Priest towered over them, identical to the other, swung a large greatsword down between the two guardians, seperating them. The new Archon dragged the sword along the floor, sending up sparks as it caught Merry with the flat of the blade and slammed her into the wall driving out the breath in her lungs. Lescha let out a warcry as she charged the Priest, letting fly her shotgun. As the Fallen turned to her she jumped up and drove her knife into its shoulder. It roared back in pain, allowing Lescha to flip over onto its back, grabbing its headdress and driving another knife into the creature. The Archon flailed around in pain, trying to grab at the small Guardian stabbing it's back. Merry took the opportunity to stand back up, shake off the pain and barrel towards the fighters. Merry rammed into the Archon with full weight, knocking it backwards over the ledge of the platform they stood on. Lescha only had a moment to jump off its back before it landed with a crash. In a scramble of limbs and shouts, Merry pulled the first knife from the Fallen's shoulder, grabbed the two left arms and pinned them on top of each other, wrist over wrist. She then drove the knife through the limbs, pinning them to the floor beneath. The Archon roared as it reached to grab Merry, but Lescha jumped up and pinned them down as well, driving her knife through flesh into the steel floor. The Archon screamed bloody murder at the two ladies before Merry drew back a fist and slammed it into its head, smacking into the floor and finally falling silent in a daze. The women stood up over the large form, gasping down breathes as they admired their handywork.  
Leshca turned to Merry, smiling beneath her helmet. "Well...that was easy." Merry just puffed out a breathe of laughter. Suddenly they were reminded of their friends peril as he was slammed into a pillar and fell to the floor. The first Archon, Wrevnix, jumped down stood over the Warlock. Vergil was in rough shape, his cloak was torn and the left side of his helmet had been broken off. His hand cannon had been crushed underfoot by Wrevnix and his sword torn off the belt and was tossed aside. As Vergil stood back up, his legs barely supporting him, he was really, really glad that Jacques finished the work on his back.  
The towering figure let out a laugh. "The Guardian with his Undrawn Sword! Down on his knees like a dog! As you should be!"  
"Not really." Vergil managed to croak out. "I'm still standing Wrevnix. Unlike your Kell when I last beat the crap out of him." As Vergil egged on the Archon Priest, his eyes caught something clipped to his belt. It was a cylinder, about as long as Vergil's forearm. It was pulsing every few seconds in runes, the pattern of the flash was an SOS signal. Vergil's eyes widened as he recognized the tube, but before he could get the chance Wrevnix grabbed him by the chest and slammed him back into the pillar, holding him up at eye level with the Archon.  
"You will not get new chance again!" Wrevnix growled. "House Blood grows strong, even Wolves fear us!"  
"I think Skolas is too busy rotting in the Prison of Elders to worry about you." Vergil jibed. That did it. Wrevnix hefted an axe into his upper right hand and raised it to strike.  
That's when Merry drove the fallen captain's sword through Wrevnix's thigh. The Priest screeched in pain as it dropped Vergil and the axe to grip his leg, before turning and grabbing Merry and threw her hard into the next room. Vergil crouched as he landed and jumped back up, snatching the runed cylinder from the Archon's belt and rolling behind him to draw out the sword from Wrevnix's leg, switching on the blade as he did to maximized the damage. The roar of pain drove Wrevnix to his knees as the wound was half cauterized. Gripping his leg Wrevnix turned to Vergil and Lescha. Vergil spread his arms to mock the Archon.  
"Who's on their knees now?" Wrevnix could see the smile on Vergil's face and shook with rage. He turned his head to the other guardian and saw the other Priest pinned to the floor behind her.  
"Brother!" With a roar, the fallen rose up and charged, backhanding Lescha while kicking Vergil aside. Wrevnix grabbed the knives and pulled them out of his brother's wrists before slinging him over his shoulders and leaped back down, running through the doors out where he threw Merry, and disappeared down the stairway.  
Vergil got back up and helped Lescha up as well. "We have to go after them!" Lescha exclaimed. "We can't let them get away!" The two Guardians jumped down and ran into the next room to see Merry kneeling in front of the pillar that was lined with computers, arms at her side looking up. Vergil quickly followed her gaze and his coolant froze at the sight. There, pinned and tied against the pillar were six mutilated bodies. Not just any bodies, they were those of Veda's fireteam.  
"Oh my god." Lescha stepped towards the grotesque display before slumping down next to Merry. "Oh my god." The shock brought the woman to near tears as they looked up. Vergil's hands curled in fury; fury towards the Fallen, fury towards the Hive, fury towards all those who dared lay a hand on anyone in such a way. He lifted a hand and gripped what remained of his helmet and tore it off, throwing it against the wall in a cry of anguish and anger where it shattered into pieces.  
"Damn them!" he cried. "Damn them to hell!" He then too, fell to his knees, looking away from the fallen guardians. Several moments of grief passed before Merry lowered her head and stood back up. She held a hand out to Lescha, who wept behind her own helmet.  
"Come on, let's take them home." Lescha looked up at the titan and sniffed before nodding, taking her hand and standing up. Merry turned to the exo. "Come on Vergil. Time to go home."  
Vergil said nothing as he stood back up and turned to his fireteam, his composure fixed. "Yes, I suppose it is." His voice betrayed his sorrow, the look in his eyes filled with pain. "Let's bring our brothers and sister home, one last time."  
The three guardians began removing the bonds around the bodies, then the spikes that held their hands above their heads. Lescha and Vergil passed them one by one to Merry, who laided them down on the floor. As they moved the second last body Lescha spoke.  
"The spikes, are they...?"  
"Made out of their Ghosts, yes." Vergil answered in solemn tone. Vergil went around the last body; it was a warlock, male. Void burn marks covered the exposed areas of his body. Vergil guessed this must have been Hector.  
"Your sacrifice was not in vain brother." Vergil spoke as he lifted his hands to the spike that held the hands of the warlock. "Your friend Veda lives, and now she can lay all her family to rest." As Vergil pulled the spike from the wall, the body of Hector suddenly gasped in pain, scaring Vergil into nearly falling down. But he steadied himself as he grabbed the gasping form from the same fate.  
"By the Traveler..." Vergil looked up to the shocked forms of Merry and Lescha. "He's alive! By the Traveler he's alive!" Merry rushed over to them as Vergil carried Hector down. She pulled out the spike from his hands and wrapped them to stop the bleeding.

"He's fading fast. Get him to the City, don't wait for us." Vergil slung the body over his shoulders and summoned Spark.

"Amicus, if you can still hear me, we found your fireteam and Hector is still alive! Prep a medical team to meet me in the hanger!" He turned to his team.

"He'll make it, I'll make sure of it." The two women nodded. Vergil turned back to Spark. "Let's go!"  
With a twirl of his frame, Spark transmated them into Vergil's ship and took off as fast as they could back towards the City.  
The duration spent watching the feed was a cycle of awe, disgust, anxiousness and slight doubt. From being tossed about like some rag doll, to the suppression of the Priest, and even to the revival of the rather impressive Warlock: all of it had invoked emotion or some little response that Amicus took as feelings. At least, he hoped. But whatever it was, the little Ghost kept watching the feed, occasionally breaking his attention to glance at the sleeping figure. The girl was so still; hardly restless, save a few slight movements here and there. He noticed the pattern almost immediately; that those less than frequent stirs typically corresponded with gruesome images from the group's telemetry signal.  
Meanwhile, dreams plagued Veda's mind. Though her body lay resting for the most part, it was her conscious that was tormented. As though the whispers were screams, the gradual layers of those whispers began an echo of a thousand. The words remained muffled and indiscernible, air slipping through unseen lips. The images did not enter her mind until the whispers had ceased, and instead a dense, damp airlessness clutched her chest; not a breath could be felt through what she assumed was her 'body'. Even outside this dream, the sullen emotion weighing on her expressed itself, with more than a few tears fleeing the corners of her eyes, fashioning streams along her ashen skin. Even the dull Belize hue pulsating beneath her skin and through her veins were overlooked while the salty water was cast away. Perpetuity clicked away through the plane of dreams, Veda's conscious left to lay on the formless ocean, collapsed by the dark feeling in her 'chest'. It was in that naked vulnerability that the imagery flickered before her dream's eyes. One that gripped her entire conscious: memories. The ones she did not wish to revisit, at least, while the wound was fresh. So much discord, gunfire, the familiar smell of Fallen blood mixed with the unfamiliar scent of her own team's gore. A single hand shoving against her sternum, her torso and figure following suit as she flung backwards, away from a hand she so tenderly held. A beloved face the real Veda knew not to expect to see again, all except for in her nightmares. The pained human's eyes could be seen through his shattered visor, a forgiving and soft expression stubbornly stuck.  
"Hector…"  
Amicus heard his partner mumble even while shock racked his form. As he thought, even Veda could sense some of the feed through the mind numbing sedation. His surprise was doubled with her mouthing out a name now racing through his servers. Had she seen that? The fireteam?  
Back into the depths of the young Awoken's plane, Veda was watching horrified as still images flickered across her vision. They continued and sped up, before slowing down in the slightest. That's when nausea struck. This was no longer the moment she dreaded, but a now extremely fresh one. A fresh horror: her family, strung up like decorative prizes. Their mangled and soulless corpses not even able to look with actual eyes or gazes any longer, but forced to remain.

'I want out… Get me out… AMICUS! SAVE ME! VERGIL! LESCHA! MERRY! ANYONE?!' In the dark deep silence, Veda's mind screamed in the emptiness as she continued to watch, only to see a savior awaken another savior. It was then, that the restless form burst forth from her mind's imprisonment, her entire torso springing from the bed. Amicus jolted and hovered over to her.  
"Veda? Your sedative should ha-" The Ghost had little time to even begin before Veda turned to him with bright, silvery eyes that begged for answers, and comfort. After prolonged silence, Amicus explained the situation, and how he had already informed the staff of the expected arrival. No time was wasted as the Hunter's expression steeled, and no words escaped her. Lithe silver legs swung across the sheets, kicking away the blankets and her slightly quivering hands yanking out the needles and tubes that splayed across her veins and skin. Amicus' pleas and demands were blurred out from her senses as she took a wobbly step up, heading for the door. A nurse was there to greet, and block the patient from exiting. That's when the short and useless argument arose.  
"Let me pass." The Awoken spoke, her tone firm but quiet. The nurse shook her head.  
"Now I don't know how you even got up with that amytal should have kept you out for days; or at least a few hours. I just don't-"  
"I don't have time to stand and talk." The Guardian interjected. That enticed a pout from the petite lady, a Chihuahua sized human woman in comparison to Veda who was much taller, leaner and more intimidating.  
"That's too bad, because I don't have time for uncooperative patients either; but look where I am." The woman retorted, throwing her hands out to emphasize her position. Without even blinking, Veda pointed in the direction of the hangar.  
"Ma'am, I am going to the hangar regardless if you help me. You are either going to do so, or get hurt trying to keep me from my brother who up 'til now I thought was dead. Do you understand?" Veda barked, her polite tone discarded with a louder volume. The woman deadpanned, taken back by the girl's swift and convincing response. After furrowing her brow for a moment, the woman nodded, but insisted being taken in a wheelchair at least. After getting acquainted with the seating arrangements, Veda nervously began her journey; wheeled across the main area and toward the hanger, which gained plenty of gazes. But her attention was refined to one thought: Hector.


	5. Chapter 5

Vergil pushed his ship to its absolute limit to break orbit. Normal time to do so usually took eight and a half minutes give or take; Vergil forced it to seven, knowing that after the exit and re-entry through Earth's atmosphere would probably total the ship in the long run, but he didn't care. The barely breathing human in his arms forced him to turn to drastic measures to keep the boy alive.  
Vergil calculated the time to traverse the planet's orbit to make it back to the City. The Earth's rotational speed and his ships would bring it to fifteen minutes, give or take.  
"Tower, this is Vergil-11. I am en route with a downed Guardian, severe third degree void burns along the body and puncture wounds through the hands; prep for emergency surgery. ETA fifteen minutes."  
"Copy that, Guardian. Is the patient's Ghost on standby?" Vergil hesitated for a brief second.  
"Negative, patient's ghost has been lost." The pause on the other end was deafening to Vergil.  
"Understood, bring your ship round to the emergency hanger."  
"Copy that, Vergil-11 out."  
Vergil place his hand over Hector's chest, focusing his light to keep the young warlock's heart beating. The pulse was there, but barely.  
"Keep it up kid, you're almost home." Vergil's words were but a whisper, but some part of him liked to think he heard him.  
Vergil's ship screamed over the Last City towards the Tower. If someone in the streets were to look up to see what was happening, all they'd get was an earful of engines and a contrail. On the Emergency Hanger platform a team of doctors rolled out a gurney and ran up to the ship as it made its approach. Near the entrance the nurse rolled Veda out onto the deck, making sure to keep out of the way.  
Vergil dropped out, carry Hector in his arms. Looking like a wreak himself with shattered armour and torn cloak, he was immediately bombarded with concern for his own well-being as he laid the warlock down in the gurney. His ire rose so much a dent on his face plate visibly popped back to normal.  
"I'm not the one dying here you idiots! Help me with him already!" Those few concerned for him took a reality check and focused on Hector, rolling him off the deck into the emergency room, Vergil still keeping his heart rate up with his healing light. As they passed through the doors, Vergil caught the sight of Veda in a wheelchair for a brief moment. He quickly returned focus on his patient, leaving the young awoken girl and her nurse behind.

There was little to be heard, or even recognized on Veda's part. In all actuality, the hangar was already normally bustling and loud, with ships in and out, revving up to jet off. And with the commotion of injured Guardians, and a dying one at that, it was an absolute uproar. However, to Veda, the full measure of the chaos was swathed. It could have been her injured body, but it's more likely that the sheer inability to decide on an emotion had left her to spiral into an internal chaos. Despite the nurse trying to get her attention, Veda's silver eyes only remained on the platform. When Vergil finally materialized, they widened in recognition. Not only of him, but the man in his arms. Ashen lips parted slightly, and her expression blackened. Now all of her regard was on her fallen brother. A man she had only just began to start putting back into subconscious memory. That memory, now forced up to break the surface; to end its drowning. It was a painful transition that Veda was not equipped to express. So it started with a catalyst gasp, that sounded like she had inhaled a piece of ice. The nurse looked down at her patient, only to be aghast by the sudden terrifying paleness of the girl's features, her scared expression, and the boundless messy tears that were constantly welling up and spilling down her ashen skin. Without a chance to speak up, a miniscule sound redirected the woman's attention. The nurse bent closer, her brow furrowing as she was about to ask her to speak again.  
"F-follow them." Veda faintly whispered, her eyes pursuing the disappearing figures. When the woman paused in shock, Veda turned in her seat, defying the pain that retorted against such an action, and the fearful expression transmogrified into rage.

"TAKE ME TO THEM!" A bellowing and cracking scream echoed through the hangar, the voice's tone desperate, frantic and an absolute reflection of Veda's incoherence.

The nurse became flustered at the sudden outburst from her patient, but complied with her "request", following the team of nurses, surgeons and one warlock out to the emergency room.  
As the team entered the emergency room, Vergil became surrounded by rushed movement and words. He understood what was going on, he just didn't belong in it. His abilities weren't meant to absolutely fix people, rather tie them over until someone who know what they were doing could do their work. Cuts, scraps, maybe a broken bone, no problem. But this? He decided to stay only until they didn't need him to keep Hector's heart going. This was signaled when a nurse put a hand on his shoulder to escort him out. He made absolute sure that he wasn't needed before agreeing. As he left the nurse that took him fussed over him to which he assured her he would be fine.  
"I know the best mechanic in the City ma'am, he'll patch me up as good as new." He stopped when they reached the waiting room; Veda sat in her wheelchair with her nurse tending to her. Tears fell from her face before he watched her bury her face in her hands.  
"Ma'am, I'll be fine. Spark, call up Jacques and have him meet me down here for some repairs. Could you give us a moment please?" The nurse gave Vergil skeptical look before heading back into the ER. Vergil slowly approached Veda and her aid. The aid watched as the Exo approached, his tattered form and armor immediately blared alarms in her medical instinct. However, based on his conversations through both the medical bay and the hangar, even if she inquired or pressed him about his injuries, he would most likely dismiss her. So instead, as he glanced between her distressed patient and a Guardian returning from the field, the out-of-place nurse excused herself, giving a reassuring smile to the man before quietly walking off. Vergil nodded to her and turned to Veda.  
"I thought you were resting."

Veda had no time to notice as she curled her fingers, her nails dragging across her skin. Black lashes clung to the other set tightly enough to bridge the tears, but only for so long. Soon, they pushed passed her pale barriers and continued their cascade across her features. There was no way that she could look up at Vergil, or move her hands away. The young Awoken knew his kind nature, and would try to console her; something she didn't' want. The last thing she wanted was to receive empathy, in a time of confusing tormenting emotions. In lieu of a reply, the girl vigorously shook her head, only a few gasping breathes escaped her as she struggled to breathe between silent sobs. Choking out a few words, the cracked voice finally arose from its toil.  
"I-I…" A large sob racked her chest, her back bending even closer toward her knees which were quivering mercilessly. "I th-thought, H-Hector was…" The opportunity to complete her thoughts crashed into her overwhelming conflict of madness, as she completely broke down into loud sobs, messy noses and sopping ashen skin. Truly, this ungraceful display was nothing like the elegant description of sadness desired by most girls. However, vanity was nonexistent even in Veda's subconscious.

Vergil took a glance back at the operating room before sitting across from Veda in one of the waiting room chairs. He decided to just lay out the facts.  
"He's alive, but it doesn't look good. The void burns cover his right side from the chin to the waist, but it's his arm they're worried about. The Fallen..." He paused, part of him not willing to go on but he forced himself to. Not giving her all the crucial information up front would just make things worse. "They pinned him to a wall using his Ghost as a spike through his hands, and the wound got infected. That coupled with the severe burns, he might lose the arm."  
Vergil reached over and put a hand on her shoulder.  
"But he's alive Veda, and the rest of your family will be coming home too."

The girl continued her gawky spiral of tears and sobs, her attention almost missing his explanation. However, as Veda realized the contents of his consolation, she managed to look up. The bottom rim of eye glistened at it's intended waterline, bubbling tears presaging a dark return to the violent racking sobs. Below, her ashen skin was a soft red, and her lids were growing puffy. While it relieved her that her family was returning, there was some part of his explaining, just after Vergil had paused; that information hit her with a seething clang, much like a hammer striking a molten blade against its anvil.  
For a moment, the Awoken's lips softly parted, a tight dry feeling in the back of her throat, straying her from her intentions. With Amicus' encouragement and support however, the young Hunter finally cracked out her voice once more.  
"H-His Ghost is...gone?" It was then that the fragile voice turned frantic her silver eyes agape with confusion and fear.

"HOW IS- HOW IS HE GOING TO-" Before she could finish, a large gulp of air seemed to strain in her lungs as she began fighting to breathe. Clenching her medical gown with shaking slender fingers, the girl lightly bent over in her seat, her heart pounding in her chest. Though Veda was indeed able to respire, it felt as though she was drowning; Ebony tar filling up the space between her voice and herself. If Hector, a proud Guardian she knew and loved, was without a Ghost; without Sven, his life as he knew it would crumble beneath him. His existence would be convoluted.  
It was all her fault. She had done this to him; to her entire family! Brothers and sisters of Light, lost because of her stupidity; her immaturity; her wild impulse. It was then, that the return of the same obliterating sensation of guilt washed through her shaking figure. The wide eyes and posture fell down. Slumping in her wheelchair, Veda stared downwards for a small passage of infinity, in a rather hollow state. Not even Amicus' screaming into her consciousness was snapping her out of it.

Vergil's eyes went wide and he rushed over, propping Veda back up and placed his hands on either side of her face. Closing his eyes he began whispering unknown words of power, letting his mind connect with the young awoken's. Tendrils of thought and Light weaved through and around her consciousness, comforting her while the words, echoing with strange sounds, gave her something to ground herself and bring her back from the brink.  
He felt her breathing slow down to a reasonable pace and the clout of darkness began ebbing away. Her body shuddered and her hands grabbed around for support until she found Vergil's arms, holding them tight as her eyes came back into focus and looked into his own. Tears welled up in her eyes again as Vergil let out a sigh of relief and cupped her cheek and grasped her shoulder.  
"Shhh, it's alright now. It's alright. I am here."

Almost like a newborn fawn, Veda quivered before the Exo. Clenching onto his arms and feeling her limbs vibrate so feebly was completely degrading. How was she, a representative of justice, defense and the Traveler itself, supposed to fulfill that duty while she was still so weak. So very weak, her heart could barely handle it. And it wasn't a simple matter of the body; Her soul shuddered with doubt and failing purpose, degenerating as she let tears fall. For someone who had almost never cried in her entire existence, even before her revival (for as far back she can remember), the amount and power of which she cried was phenomenal, and quite pathetic. The Guardians outside the med bay were all to prone to Tower gossip, and the cries weren't all that hard to pin down. A few tried to casually slip by to check out the scene, only to be aghast by the rather sad view. Veda now, had regained her consciousness, and found her way back to a path she vaguely recognized. But even while she was herself, that being was deteriorating quickly as she began losing purpose as a Guardian. Of course, the Awoken was silenced by physical and mental decay for the moment, and thus was unable to express such worries and fears. Instead, the girl, who was once considered a valuable Guardian and member of a proud fireteam, was reduced to the mindset of an infant, who then wrapped her arms around the Warlock's neck, her body still shaking. The simple mind's only wish for the moment was to be carried away; To stop herself from fighting demons she felt so miniscule in comparison to. Veda knew she was not ready; She knew she was not fit; And her pride and purpose certainly took a toll for such a weakening mentality.

Vergil wrapped his arms around the shaking girl into a hug. It was a bit awkward since she was still in her wheelchair, but he made it work.  
"I know you're feeling lost right now but know that you are not alone, Veda." He pulled away to look at her straight on. "The last few days have been stressful to say the least, but you cannot lose hope now. Hector is alive, and he will live. If he's manage to stay alive this long I have no doubt in my mind he will pull through, but he needs you to be strong too. You need each other now more than ever and I will help in whatever way that I can. You have my word on that."

Having to look at the Exo straight on was not as comfortable as she'd like it to be. But that slight discomfort was quite easily discarded in the looming shadow of her current torrent of emotions. Her face was so full of doubt and it crumpled as she restrained tears. As usual, the wise warlock was correct. There wasn't time for her to be so irrational. Veda knew she was needed strong for her brother who was closer to the brink than she'd been. In fact, shame stopped her heart for a moment while she reflected on how stupid her behavior was. It was so childish and selfish. To be acting like she was the only person suffering, while great news had arrived and her brother still had a heartbeat. Tearing away her gaze, the Awoken bit harshly into her bottom lip. A retort was in order, because she wanted to question him; how would he know if Hector would pull through? For all they knew, without his Ghost, Hector could be in his final moments.

An anger built up over that, which simply convoluted her mind further. Yet, to prevent Vergil from trying to intervene, she felt as though she wouldn't say anything. Instead, a shaky breathe came out her mouth, and breathe was inhaled just as hesitantly through her nose. Veda closed her eyes and lifted her thin hand up, almost in a mid-wave manner.  
"I-I need to be alone." The Hunter expelled, obviously trying to retain the sturdiest tone and posture she could. Every fiber of her being hoped that the Exo wouldn't retort.

Vergil nodded and stood up.  
"I understand. But please, do not be too hard on yourself; it is okay to mourn, and it is okay to have doubts. It's only when we let our doubts control us we lose the battle."  
He motioned to the aid to come back before placing a hand on Veda's shoulder.

"Get some rest. Seriously. You should be out cold right now." He smiled as he patted her shoulder. "You'll have a clearer head after a good sleep. We have a lot of work to do when you can get back on your feet."  
He looked down at himself. The torn robe and broken straps and armour hung loosely over him. "And I'll need to get a new wardrobe." He chuckled. "I suppose it's about time, a couple of decades wearing the same armor does get a little bland." He looked up, a sullen look crossing his face.  
"I suppose we'll see each other again at the funerals yes?"

As he explained what she should be doing, Veda softly nodded along. Despite him trying to make a cheerier self for her, not even she had the strength or will power to force a smile. But, he was right. He was ALWAYS right. It irritated her that he was right in such a dark situation. That feeling that while she was just so lost, he was just so sure. The young Awoken resented Vergil's knowledge and maturity in such a situation. Which she internally reflected back toward the Exo. It made matters worse, because she shouldn't have, and she knew it; even if the thought was brief and the resentment subsided quickly. Sure, she could blame her messy mental state, but that wouldn't solve any problems; if Veda was to grow stronger, she'd need to face up for her childish actions. Her times as being the baby of the fireteam were history. Even while she was till fairly young, there was no room in this world to stay that way. Veda needed to grow up; She scolded herself for not doing so. Externally composed, Veda gave a final nod before her arms shakily reached down to start pushing the wheels. The Hunter's attempts were thwarted as Vergil spoke up again, much more solemnly. That made her lurch forward slightly, as though a pain pulsed through her abdomen.

"Urk..." Veda softly exclaimed, before taking in a sharp breathe. Squeezing her eyes, she pursed her lips and exerted her last nod, before she turned her head completely away from his. The nurse saw her discomfort and gave a pleading and sympathetic look to the Exo Guardian, before wheeling away her patient. For sure, the head of staff would have her head if she knew what she had permitted to happen just minutes after showing signs of alertness.

Vergil nodded at the aid and let them go. As he watched them leave his eyes lit up, remember something.  
"Hold on a moment!" The aid slowly wheeled Veda around as he jogged over to them and summoned Spark. The warlock and his ghost nodded at each other in silent agreement and Spark materialized the Fallen Captain's sword Vergil had used in the battle. Spark had cleaned it up from the blood and gore from the battle, letting the blade shine nearly new. Vergil presented it to Veda handle first.  
"When you are ready, I'll show you how to use this properly." He spoke with propriety and authority; she was not to use it unless under his direction.

Glancing up at the Exo, her silver eyes waved over the blade. He... wanted her to have it? A large wave of doubt came through once more, as the Hunter's slightly agape mouth closed in thought. After a moment, she reached up, her slim fingers curling about the handle. Testing it like this, Veda realized it would be hard to carry on her own, and thus took it to place in her lap. Despite her attempts, Amicus interrupted and he too emerged. Materializing, he glanced at the companions. Turning back to his guardian, he scanned the blade before it slowly dematerialized.

"Got it." He confirmed, glancing over to the Exo. Gently gliding over, he stopped at his fellow Ghost, Spark.  
"I'll send you any news if she- If anything gets worse." The stubborn machine confided, sounding slightly embarrassed that he had to now trust these two, knowing their relations with his own companion. Amicus was now well aware that he was not her only pillar of strength.

Spark nodded to Amicus, a mutual respect had grown between the two now; their Guardians relied on each other, so they had to rely on one another too.  
Vergil and Spark watched as the trio headed out of the waiting room. It was only after several moments after they had left Vergil let out a sigh of relief. Spark spun his frame around to face him.  
"Well that could've been worse. What now?"  
Vergil nodded in agreement before materializing the strange cylinder in his hand. At least it was strange to Spark. It was a gold plated and glowed in a language made of lettering combined from Nordic runes and chinese symbols along with other old languages. The letters pulsed with light in the pattern of an SOS signal, but the emergency beacon had fallen silent when Vergil had taken it from Wreavnix. The ghost shuddered. He never expected to see that particular Fallen and his twin brother again. Not after their last encounter.  
Vergil held up the artifact, gazing longly at it as if old memories from a bygone era were flying past his eyes.  
"When you first brought me back from the dead that night, all I cared about was what I had lost; my home, my family." He looked up at the little machine of Light. "You told me that whatever had happened was long past caring, that I needed to move on if I wanted what was left of humanity to survive. And you were right. I moved forward, I let the past stay the past. But some part of me always held on to that faint string of hope that not all was lost forever. And now, after centuries together my friend, Fate has rewarded us."  
The Ghost nodded, bobbing up and down. "Okay...so what is it?"  
Vergil smiled. "A contingency plan, hundreds of years in the making. And it will change everything. But there's still a lot of work that needs to be done, starting with this." He shook the cylinder.  
"I'm guessing it needs to be deciphered." Spark caught on.  
"Oh yes. Like you wouldn't believe." Vergil was giddy with excitement now. It was rare to see him this excited about...well anything. But Spark knew his Guardian, he knew his secrets and greatest treasures, and he would gladly lay his Light on the line to protect them.  
"Then let's not waste anymore time. Jacques is going to meet us at the apartment, he'll take care of you there." Spark's tone turned sarcastic. "'At a reduced cost.'"  
"Brilliant." Vergil turned to leave the room, but stopped at the door to glance back at the emergency room. He hoped fate would be just as kind to Hector and Veda as it was to him. He turned away and hurried down the hallway towards his apartment to start his work.

Against terrifying odds, time had allied with the fallen Guardians. A speedy recovery was due for the female Hunter. At least, physically. Amicus doubted that Veda would return to her normal self; Not until she had closure at the funeral that was scheduled for sometime after Hector awoke. The busy Ghost was helping prepare plans for the funeral, set to take place just outside the Tower. The Tower was a hub; no place for reverence to the fallen family to take place, especial seeing eager and hurried Guardians constantly running amok. Those who were available to come were invited to attend. The small metallic apparatus had no doubt many would come to attend... But he kept constant communication with Spark, nagging to assure that the event would be closed casket, and other important information. Not to mention, the girl, being so young, had almost never stopped with her family for a break. If they weren't stopping at the Tower and City for food or equipment, they were out in the field. It was an exciting experience, even for Amicus, knowing that other Ghosts would not have been able to be blessed with such a family immersive experience like that. It's that closeness that left Amicus to his own measures of grief. He too, missed the family; that experience was priceless to the little machine of the Traveler. Reminiscing would be due as soon as he got a chance to rest, but now was a time to prepare.  
It had taken hours of surgery; very, very careful surgery at that, in consideration of the loss of the Guardian's Ghost. Bleak as it was, the surgeons and nurses tending to the survivor had high hopes. It was obvious he was a fighter, having lived so long. It was common, in such strong wills prominent in the Guardian population. They had to: they were Earth's only hope. Hour-long struggles turned to day long wars, fighting to keep the man alive. After four days, with short intervals of rest for the staff, the man was checked into the regular ward and considered stable. By this time, Veda had rested up, taken medicine quietly, and regained most of her mobility. Against many wishes, as soon as her brother had left the emergency ward, Veda bolted to his room and stayed there for hours on end in silence. Most times, she'd have to be carried out by a doctor, because she'd fall asleep as time was lost to them. Because of the human's dire condition, he was kept under anesthesia, until the doctors could fully determine that his internal bleeding and oblique and multiple compound fractures had at least had time to at least until the hematoma could form. Of course, the man was going to be immobile for many months unseen. As expected, it took a while for Hector to awaken. However, when he did, Veda was sleeping beside his bed, her arms folded over the blankets, acting as a pillow for her motionless head.

Moments turned to minutes as the man simply stared, aghast by the sight. While his left eye was puffy and hard to open, the right was wide and full of confusion. Recalling fragmented thoughts of the last time he had been awake, began painting a bloody, and fearful image. His chest stiffened as he silently stared at the young Awoken, who's face didn't need to be seen to recognize her. Before long, painful jerks of tears crawled past his eyelids, and when he tried to move to wipe them, his entire body ached and groaned in retort. Moaning from the painful throbs, Veda's figure stirred. The man bit his bottom lip, his body racked in fear. Hector could only wonder how much she knew. The man clenched his jaw, a painful feeling shooting through his face, but still kept it there. What could he say? All words seemed to crumble away in the wake of his fear, caught in his throat which creaked when he tried to open his mouth. Tears kept pursuit down his cheeks, before he bowed his head and let the freely flow. Knowing that he was alone in the room with Veda meant only one obvious thing: there were no others. The family was broken. Realizing how young Veda was to the world was one thing, but recognizing how devastating this would be to her was another. Silence was broken as he glanced up to see a pair of silver irises gleaming back at him. Cringing, Hector took note of a gash across her lip, and the heavy red circles beneath her eyes.  
'So she knows...' He painfully thought to himself. Veda wasn't sure what to do on her hand. He was awake, and all instincts told her to hold him against her tightly, to ensure she'd never let him go; to never lose him again. A rational thought prevented such actions, seeing as he was injured. A sharp staggered breathe accompanied by a hesitant shaking hand extending toward the human's Veda managed a smile. A smile that had a combination of emotions stitching the lips together. Like a catalyst, Veda was once more crying just as her brother was, and they both squeezed each others hand.  
Under normal circumstances, Hector was a handsome human, with chiseled features and a cocky attitude. The male was rambunctious to say the least, and enjoyed messing with his hair. Before they had gone off on this suicide hunt, he vaguely remembered having a long chocolate ponytail, with both sides shaven. Now looking at him, his scalp was nearly bare, only stubble to protect his pale features.  
"I-I'm sorry..." A shock waved through the man as his eyes tried to widen. The Hunter, had apologized. A thousand questions whirred through his head; One most prominent, was: How long has she been blaming herself?  
"Veda." The girl took a moment to bring her face back up. Looking at her brother, so battered and almost unrecognizable, was painful. But avoiding his gaze was just that much worse. What made it worse, was that hearing his voice made her heart jump for joy when everything else battered her into morbid sorrow.  
"You made it, and that's what matters kiddo." The weakling voice cracked out, Hector trying to make a smile, but feeling the rest of his face retort with numbness. Normally, such a funny expression would make his younger sister in arms laugh or poke fun at him. But all he got was a painful expression in return. He had called her kiddo again. A nickname she had begun preparing herself to never hear again. It was enough to break herself down once more, a sob forcing her face back into the blankets while she began crying frantic apologies into the mattress. The Warlock wept as well, his face crumpling as far as he could as he squeezed her hand and whispered 'it's alright', back to her softly in response. Neither of them knew what to do.

Lescha and Merry walked down the hallways of the recovery ward towards Hector's room. They had initially come to visit Veda to see how she was doing but learned that she was now spending most of her time with Hector. As they walked Lescha adjusted the bouquet of flowers she carried in her arms with a 'get well soon' card. She wore a green tank top and blue jeans while Merry had a jacket with a Titan's officer emblem on the back over her red t-shirt and cargo pants. Seeing as the funeral was in a couple of days the two had decided to take some time to recover from the fight with the Fallen. Merry looked over to Lescha with a concerned look.  
"You hear anything from Vergil?"  
The awoken shook her head. "Nothing. The Speaker's not saying anything either. Only that 'When he is ready to speak of it, he will call on you.'" Sarcasm laced her words as she air-quoted with her free hand.  
"Zavala isn't saying anything either." Merry went on. "None of the Vanguard are, but for different reasons I think."  
"I thought you said Zavala didn't like Vergil?" Lescha made a confused face.  
"He doesn't. At least I don't think he does. He doesn't really make it clear." Merry shrugged. "All I know is they've got history."  
Lescha frowned. "I don't get it. I mean, I know Vergil's got his secrets for a reason..."  
"Probably why he's lived for so long."  
"But why hasn't the Speaker told the Consensus about this? You'd think that Golden Age tech would be good for the City as a whole, right?"  
"Yeah, but think about it. If the Speaker told 'em, how'd you think it go? The factions would just try to get it for themselves. None of them like sharing, especially if it's an AI."  
The two women stopped at the door to Hector's room. Merry raised her hand to knock but stopped and leaned her ear towards the door. She heard the soft sound of two voices talking to each other and stood back.  
"Sounds like he's awake." Lescha put a hand to her mouth in surprise.  
"Should we wait? Or come back later?"  
"Maybe we should come back later." Merry nodded and turned to leave.

The weeping and consoling was midway, when the Hunter's keen hearing picked up on steps coming down the hallway. A pair, it seemed. Sitting up, Veda frantically began wiping at her eyes, jolting to a stop when she felt how puffy her eyelids were. For a split second, the girl's face flinched in slight disgust as her fingertips examined the strange skin. That was much more than enough to make the male Warlock chuckle softly. It hurt to do so like he usually would, so the gentle laugh would have to do for now. Hearing that chuckle meant the world to Veda; It also meant a wake-up call. The instant it hit her, Veda stared silently into space. While she had allowed herself to be consumed by this sadness, she had so easily forgotten that her brother was alive. It was something to rejoice, and cry happily over. Shaking her head, a small smile passed over her lips. Respect and adoration filled her silver eyes, as she looked back up at her fireteam brother.  
"Welcome back Hector!" The girl tilted her head with a kind, open smile. How long had it been since she had done that? Who knows, but that was enough to snap the both of them out of the sorrow for the time. Immediately, Hector used his last good arm to tug her into a hug, which made him groan, and her gasp. Both ended up chuckling as he released, and he gave the toothiest smile his impaired muscles could make.

"Thanks kiddo!", Hector replied, and then gave a small furrow, waving a nub where his right arm was meant to be. "Also, I don't know if it's just my old man memory, but I'm PREEETTTY sure I had an arm here at some point!" Veda blinked, her brow too, furrowing before she cracked up and shook her head.  
"It must be your old age." The Hunter snorted, a gentle smile returning. Their fun was cut short as they both caught onto the talking outside the door. Veda got up, and crept near the door. Whoever it was, she didn't want to leave them stranded, especially if it was a doctor or nurse: they'd definitely want to know. Sweeping the door across the threshold, Veda peaked out.

"Oh! Uh... Hi! Do you want to... come in...?" With an exclamation, the girl gave a small smile and wave to the two girls (by now were her idols).

The two women felt like deer in the headlights when Veda opened the door and asked them to stay. Lescha spoke up.  
"Well, we don't want to intrude..."

Veda gave a softer expression, trying to look not so flustered. Of course, she could see how they were uncomfortable. She'd be the same, especially if one of them came out with puffy eyes like hers. With a slight nod, she expressed her approval for not wanting to come in.

"It's alright." The girl softly chuckled, breaking a smile. Before Veda could ask them any further about themselves or to ask for a doctor, Hector interjected.  
"Ooh! Veda, are those some beautiful ladies I hear?" The man asked as loudly as he could manage, with a rather familiar and quite-missed tone. Veda made a fed up face for a moment, before sighing and curtly stepping back into the room to look at him.  
"Yes. But not exactly the right time to be flirting now, is it Cripple?" The man looked offended, his good hand cautiously going up to hold over his heart.  
"Cripple?! And here I thought you missed me!" The Warlock gasped, sarcasm bleeding through him like water through paper.

The two women looked at each other as Veda and Hector bantered with each other.  
"Sounds like he's feeling better." Merry chuckled, raising an eyebrow. Lescha held back a snort of laughter.  
"Sure, we'll stick around if it's no trouble." They followed Veda as she welcomed them into the small room. Both of them winced when they saw Hector. He looked better than when they found him, but the bandages and his missing arm still shocked them a bit, Lescha more so than Merry. Lescha drew in a breath and smiled, walking up to him.  
"Hey Hector, how are you feeling?"

The man tried to flash a smile, as flirty as he usually did.  
"Better, now that you lovely ladies are here~"  
But the effect of his flirt was diminished by the position he was in. Veda, took careful note of this most of all. At first, her face was completely composed as well as her stance. But after laying witness to the drowsy, sort of lazy flirtatious expression, the girl's eyes widened before a hand flew up to her mouth and she turned around; one arm looped about her stomach as she slightly bowed in his opposite direction, laughter threatening to seep through her lips. Hector flushed slightly at this, and pouted toward the girl.

"Geez..." He huffed quietly, before turning back toward the girls. Attempting a wink, he continued. "I wasn't lying, by the way. But may I ask for this beauty's name?" Veda managed to quit her giggles, and went back onto the other side of the bed; opposite to the girls.

"Calm down there Cripple. Raising your blood pressure may just kill you." Some of it was simple sass, but a bit of her truly worried that she was right.

Lescha and Merry couldn't help but smile at the man's feeble attempt flirting with them, but Veda's fit of laughter sent Lescha into a giggle and Merry tried to hold back a snort while shaking her head. Lescha walked up to Hector's bedside table and placed the flowers into a vase sitting on it.  
"I'm Lescha, Lescha Amori. Miss Kick-your-ass over there is Merry Hartman." Merry gave an awkward wave then glanced away, rubbing her neck as she leaned against the wall, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks.

Hector caught on to the woman's coy behavior, almost as though he smelled it. The man was a dog as far as Veda was concerned. But, considering that these people were fairly new, and his amazing skills were limited for the moment, he decided to retreat on teasing Merry for today. Smiling at them both, he gave a nod.

"Nice to meet both of you. Name's Hector Bowen. I assume Veda told you already though, hmm?" The man seemed confident in the statement before he looked at Veda. The Awoken girl wore a look much like a child caught grabbing a cookie from the cookie jar. Hector blinked for a moment, before giving a teasing glare. "Veda!"

The girl bowed deeply, her face planting into the mattress as she flusteredly hid away.

"I'M SORRY I WAS KINDA BUSY WORRYING YOU WERE DEAD!" Veda retorted, a blush on her cheeks.

The whole scenario seemed to fall flat on its face after the words left Veda's mouth. Lescha looked down at her feet and Merry shifted even more awkwardly. Bringing back the rest of Veda's team wasn't easy on their souls and still gnawed away in their minds.

While Veda was busy being embarrassed in the situation, her attention distracted, Hector took note of their discomfort. For a sliver of a moment, his face was solemn. However, he soon put on a goofy smile, slightly shifting in his bed to lean over and give a noogie to the ivory haired Awoken. The girl cringed under the touch, before looking up. It was hard not to notice their awkward behavior and she too blushed and covered her mouth.  
"S-Sor-" Attempts to speak were demolished once Hector groaned out a loud yawn, before petting the girl's head.

"Hey Kiddo; I'm alive and kicken', got it? And look at you! Lively enough to come and make fun of your big bro I see!" The man mocked, Veda flushing even further before he chuckled and tussled her soft tresses. While he needed time to grieve, he could tell that this wasn't the time: it would only worry others.

Hector's attempt to save the situation worked, making the two women smile, if not a bit awkwardly. Merry took the opportunity to join in the conversation.  
"You are looking better Veda, how are the medic's treating you?"

Veda stole away from the noogies, frantically patting at her hair to fix it. Turning back up to the woman, Veda nodded. "Er... They're pretty fussy about a lot. I have to sleep at certain times. Not to mention I'm getting pretty sick and tired of needles." The younger Awoken confessed, a slight huff in her tone. Hospitals were not her forte. Hector held a smug grin, and gazed down condescendingly. "Mhmm." He mocked, before Veda shot him a soft glare. The man laughed once more before resting his eyes.  
"Hey Kiddo, I'm gonna get some more sleep, if you don't mind." Hector yawned, his smile sticking to his features. Veda was taken back, before she stood and glanced at the women, gesturing a small 'shush'.

Merry rolled her eyes as Lescha scoffed at the man's antics. He certainly knew how to make an impression. Merry motioned to Lescha, indicating they should leave and let Hector rest. She nodded and they began heading for the door. Standing over her brother's sleeping form, the girl lightly pressed her hand against the bed, leaning down and giving a gentle kiss to his forehead. Lescha stopped for a second as a thought came to her and waved at Veda to follow her outside. She noticed her idol beckoning her, which immediately brought on a bright smile. Quietly, she tip-toed out of the room. To any stranger's eye, it was easy to tell that it was to women visiting the youngest: Veda was wearing a hospital gown; the first ever non-armor outfit she'd worn since her revival. But, since they WERE in the medic bay, it wasn't all that strange.  
"I need your opinion for something, can you look at it and tell me what you think?"

Excited much like a child meeting their hero, Veda nervously smiled and clicked the door shut behind her. "Yes, of course!" The white-tressed Awoken happily exclaimed.

Lescha reached into her back pocket and pulled out three photographs.  
"You know that magazine, 'Guardian Monthly'? I got contacted by them after some shoots I did for my modelling company and they wanted to interview me. The interview's done but they wanted a good picture for the cover so we got down to these three."  
She was topless in all three pictures but was either turned away from the camera or was covering herself with her arms. In the first she was lying down, propped up by her left arm facing away from the camera as she looked to the right. The second was a close up of her facing forward; she was looking to her right, chin resting on her right hand while her left arm crossed over it so it was covering her breasts. The third she was standing up looking left with her back towards the camera; her right hand was covering herself while the left hung low.  
What these three pictures were showing, however, were the extensive scars that covered her body. Three large claw marks were the most prominent, one going from her bellybutton over her side, another on her left shoulder and the last just under her right breast, traveling over to her back. These were complemented with a few smaller scars that went up and down her back. Lescha looked up with a sad smile.  
"The interview is about my recovery story. It's been bothering me still, even after all this time, so I decided that talking about it would help me get over it.

Veda nodded excitedly as the woman began explaining. Of course, such a beautiful Guardian would be modeling for propaganda and so forth. Knowing her story would no doubt give hope to many people.. including Veda herself. It hadn't occurred to her, but when the fellow Awoken gave a sad smile and explained, Veda realized this. For a moment, she swallowed, and glanced down at the photos. Normally, such images might make her blush, considering they were of someone she adored and looked up to. However, the circumstances and rather current events had slightly altered her mindset. After examining them all, Veda took the poses into consideration. A serious light took to her young silver eyes, crossing the photos over and over. After a moment, she handed the photos back, but slid her pick over the other two. Tapping it lightly with her finger, Veda gazed back at Lescha.

"This one." The photo in question was the last of the three: the one where it could be seen she was standing. Of course, Veda planned to explain herself as well.

"Er... I know it's just my own opinion though... I..." A sigh escaped her throat as she stared at the photo back in the hands of the woman. "I like that you can see your scars. And that you're standing tall. After what you've been through, your pride in your body and the ability to stand is tremendous. Moreover, you're facing away like... Like.." Veda tried to gather words as she took a deep breathe and breathed out. "Like you're moving forward."

When the young Hunter trailed off, her mind did as well, her own words making her actually think. Realizing she was speaking so adamantly about it, the girl flushed and immediately went to rub her neck; an embarrassed chuckle escaping her throat.

"Ahaha... But er... That's just er... me..." With or without her conscious knowledge, Veda's volume dwindled toward the end of her sentence.

Lescha smiled and brought the young girl into a tight hug.  
"Thanks, I was leaning towards that one too. And I think you're right; it does make me look tall, doesn't it?" She pulled away and jabbed a thumb at Merry with a smirk. "She wouldn't give me an opinion, so boring!"  
"I don't know how your model business shit works!" Merry defended. "So don't try to rope me into it!"  
"You're just jealous." Merry flipped her off as Leshca turned back to Veda.

"You're not even using that word right." Merry's muttering turned to grumbles as she crossed her arms.  
"Whatever. Thanks Veda! Minnie, let Rupert know that we've decided to go with number three." Lescha's ghost popped up and gave an excited nod.  
"Okay! Also, hi Veda! Nice to meet you!" She dematerialized again and Lescha shook her head.  
"She's busy managing all of my 'appointments', so don't take it too personally if she puts you off a bit." She lifted her arms over her head and stretched. "I suppose we've spent a little too much time yammering away, there's still work to be done. I gotta see Lakshimi-2 about that Omolon contract."  
Merry nodded in agreement. "I got some stuff to finish up before, you know, the funerals." She walked over and hugged Veda. "If you ever want to talk to us about anything, just let us know, okay?

The first one: fireworks. The second: a damn fine miracle ordained by the Traveler itself. To have received not one: but TWO hugs from such a role model and prestigious, influential figure, was overwhelmingly amazing for Veda. Not to mention, they were in the same day. It was much like a child receiving a hug from Santa Claus, or something of that caliber. What made each one that much more tender and sweet, was the fact that it rekindled a familiar sensation of loving arms; akin to her fireteam's warm embrace. While wounds on her heart were fairly fresh and stung, the fond memories that flooded back overshadowed such sorrowful feelings. Even while the young Hunter wished more than anything to return the tight hug, her reality check returned that this woman was her idol. Flushed after both experiences, Veda returned a kind and bright smile: one that revealed she did indeed have nice teeth. The banter between the two of them made her wonder if she could ever reach a friendship with them... But, as farewells were due, Veda bowed, and continued a smile.  
"I... Thank you. I will take you up on your offer." Her cheeks remained blushing as the fellow Awoken went off on her personal business. Turning to Merry, the girl rubbed the nape of her neck and smiled awkwardly.  
"Er... if you're not busy, would you mind maybe helping me find some er... casual clothes?"

The question took the titan by surprise, she didn't have any spare clothing? The notion seemed odd to her, but she decided not to press the matter. She gave the young girl a smile.  
"Sure, did you want me to get you something for the time being? I'm pretty sure I can find something that'll fit."

The initial look of confusion, even if unintentional, was noticed by the young Awoken. It made her cheeks darker than before as she chuckled further. Her offering to give her clothing made her eyes wide and her hands go up in dismissal.

"O-oh you don't have to!" Veda began, and then stopped to think. She did have to consider that even if she didn't want to impose, she had to consider that the only clothes she had were her Guardian's garb, and the hospital gown. And she hadn't been to the city by herself dressed in either so... Left a bit lost as to what to do, the girl brought her hand up to her lips in thought.

Merry smiled. "It's not a problem, but maybe the hospital's got some clothes for you to use? That way you're not standing around waiting for me"

Veda smiled in return, but with a realization in her eyes. Of course! Veda couldn't help but recognize a pattern of wisdom in the Guardian's she encountered whom bonded with Vergil. It was slightly unnerving, but a respectable and enviable pattern. Hopefully she would get to be that logical too. Waving goodbye to the problem solver, Veda quickly made her way back to the med bay. Once back in the hospital, she inquired to the nurse about if she could get some clothes. At first, the woman opened her mouth to say she didn't, but stopped. After some thinking, the woman smiled and said yes. Instructed to wait, Veda returned to her room and sat on her bed, Amicus materializing before her.  
"Clothes?" The voice arose, more curious than mocking. A little mocking, but very slightly so. The woman returned shortly, a pair of skinny jeans, a black long sleeve t-shirt, and a pair of plain black running shoes. Setting them on top of the nightstand, the woman excused herself. While Veda was a bit excited, the nurse herself kept the secret of their origin to herself. Knowing the girl for a short time, she doubted that she would willingly take the nurse's clothes. That's why she quietly handed them over without explanation, so she could take them willingly.

Merry couldn't help but smile at Veda's enthusiasm after she ran off. It was nice to see her so happy despite all that's happened in the last week. She decided to head for Veda's room to take her shopping. She needed something to wear at the funeral and Merry was happy to help.  
When she got there she found a nurse waiting outside Veda's door.  
"Getting dressed?" The nurse nodded.  
"Yup, I'm letting her borrow mine so she can go out. You'll be taking her I'm guessing?"  
Merry raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. That was nice of you, does she know that?"  
"She wouldn't take it if she did."  
"Heh. You got that right." Merry knocked on the door. "Veda? Can I come in?"  
Amicus had dematerialized at this point, respecting Veda's wishes. Even though he was another 'brother' and companion, Veda still felt uncomfortable changing in front of viewing eyes. In the exact moment she asked to come in, the shirt was half on, her arms hanging in the air as she stopped tugging it down.  
"Um... One second!" The Awoken called back, rushing to slide on the fabric. Sure enough, as she went over to the door and opened it, Merry was awaiting. Smiling brightly, the girl invited her inside as she returned to her bed side. She had yet to put on her shoes, which she was currently stepping into. The reason it had taken so long, was because never had the Hunter had to deal with things like buttons or zippers, like her jeans had.

Merry tilted her head and chuckled.  
"You look good, but we definitely have to find something that's 'you'." She pulled up her inventory to check her glimmer. It totaled a little over twenty thousand. Definitely more than enough for a new wardrobe. She tucked it away and looked at the young girl.  
"Now, I'm sure you've got your own glimmer, but if you see something you like and you don't have enough I can help you. Within reason of course."

Veda chuckled a bit and nodded in agreement. Somehow, she felt like some worker lady down in the City. She'd always see those sorts of women roaming around when they stopped by for a bite to eat or go to the bathroom. Or some nutty children running about. But that wasn't particularly relevant now. When Merry had told her about funding, all the girl could do was have her mouth agape. Pay for her? Oh no. Oh no no no.  
"Er... I'm actually okay... But thank you." A soft smile graced her lips. Much like Abellone, Merry had an air about her that... was a bit motherly. It was a warm sensation, that she silently enjoyed. Asking in her head, she inquired Amicus about her funds. He cross-referenced prices typically seen in the City, and got back to her, saying her glimmer funds were, in his words, "just fine".

Merry turned to the nurse. "What time do you need her back?"

The nurse took in a big huff, and released a larger sigh. Though particularly troublesome and stubborn, the woman had a soft spot of compassion for her. It wasn't hard to tell what was going on. A smile went on her expression as she glanced over at Veda.

"I want her sometime before dusk, if you can manage it."

"Yes ma'am." Merry winked with a smirk. "Alright kiddo, let's go have some fun."


	6. Chapter 6

Veda and Merry headed down to the City via transport ship that took them directly to the market streets. The docking area they jumped off in was generally used to ship weapons and gear up to the tower and materials back but it was directly behind one of the less busier marketplaces.

"Easier than the main streets, and sometimes you can find some of the more unique stuff here." Merry had claimed as she led the young girl through the alleys. They came out onto the street, the main market was to their right. To their left further down the street a variety of boutiques and cafes lined the street with display windows of clothes, trinkets and what not.

Merry turned to Veda with hands on her hips. "So where do you want to start?"

Veda had never been this way before, and thus was soaking up every moment and image into her mind. Though a bit stubborn to express it, her eyes glistened a bit with excitement. Again, her young age shone through as she continued jerking her head back and forth to observe. Once having to make a choice, the younger Guardian seemed to snap out of her trance. "Hmm?" Realizing she now had to make a quick choice, the girl was once again flustered. Tugging at her sleeve, her face diverted toward the left, where the streets looked quieter and more her speed.

"Um... What about that way?"

Merry looked down the street and shrugged. "Sure, good as any place to start."  
The street, although quieter than the marketplace, was still somewhat bustling with people just walking in and out of shops or kids gazing through the windows at toys and gadgets. Merry paused in front of a boutique that had a couple of dresses and gowns displayed in the window. She turned to Veda and gestured at it.

"I hate to be the debbie downer right off the bat, but we should probably get you something for the funeral first and foremost."

It was then that reality set back in, and Veda sucked a slow breathe in. Though she wasn't breaking back down, her face crumpled slightly, looking more like discomfort for prodding a sore spot. Her fingers curled into her palm a bit sharply before she gave a soft smile and nodded.

"Yeah... you're right." The tone wasn't exactly cheery, but tired for sure. The pair of silver irises gazed up at the glass, peering at the gowns and dresses behind. Taking a step inside proved to to have a warm greeting, a flourish of employees coming to greet the two.

Merry made a very 'Oh Traveler I regret this decision' face upon entering the store. She didn't mind shopping but it bothered her when the employees acted like clingy girlfriends whenever someone entered their store. But she was her to help Veda, so she took the bitter pill. It disheartened her that they had to get the funeral dress first, but the sooner it was done the better it was for the young awoken. Veda had already explained what she was looking for and why, which brought sad looks and sincere apologies from the workers. Now they were looking at dresses and asking about measurements. Merry decided to hang back for now. Again, this was for Veda, and she already had her funeral wear.

It created a very sinking feeling of reality. A dull pain throbbed in Veda's stomach when she had to explain the loss of her family, and to hear attempts of condolences from the strangers made it all that much more real. Maintaining a shy smile, Veda bowed to the women politely, thanking them for their help. Other than her Guardian gear, Veda was not one for searching for clothes. It felt strange not having on all her gear, the lightness of the casual clothing making her feel so vulnerable. While Merry sat down to watch, Veda was skimming the clothes, the employees solemnly helping her along, asking to take her measurements and whatnot. After they had wrapped her multiple times with measuring tape, they politely asked her to change out of her clothes. Stepping into a changing room, the girl did as asked and waited for a dress to come in after. Standing almost completely bare before a mirror was a time for more than just physical reflection. Doing a slow twirl, the young Awoken took the time to gaze upon her new scars, criss-crossed along her back. Her hand went back and gingerly grazed the dark grey lines which nearly went up to her shoulders. Fortunately for her, the cut on her lip hadn't scarred, and looking at her face was no reminder. But her back was enough to make her have to sit down. Before she could linger on it for too long, a women stepped in with 2 dresses. After trying them on, Veda thought that perhaps she'd rather not cover up her back. These were things she wanted to show everyone; to have people see and know that these were promises to never forget, and to never forgive. To assure Hector that his little sibling was going to survive. After inquiring about backless dresses, the woman returned with deep v-neck dress, with bows over the far set shoulder straps. It was simple: a tightening just below her bust and four pleats; two on the front and two on the back.

Exiting the dressing room, Veda stepped out with it on, feeling her skin be the most exposed it had ever been. The light strange sensation of it was a bit jarring, but nonetheless, necessary.

As she stepped out of the dressing room, Merry couldn't help but feel her stomach drop when she saw Veda. The dress was beautiful on her but it stood as a cruel reminder of all that was taken away from the young girl. A proper childhood, her family, her innocence. Veda had been thrust into a world that Merry knew drove some guardians mad. At least there were people like Vergil-11, people who went out of their way to help others. If he hadn't been there for Veda things might have turned out different.

She stood and walked over to Veda as the dressers fiddled with fine adjustments of the dress. She smiled at the young awoken.

"It looks good on you. What do you think?"

Amicus took note of the woman's reaction. Fortunately for Veda, she was preoccupied by the women scrambling about her, doting on the smallest details the inexperienced Awoken would never have noticed. It made her question if she'd ever want to visit the City more often. Now with all this fussing over the simplest things her mind was starting to sway against it. The little Ghost was sure to memorize the women's measurements so he could later aid his companion in choosing the right clothes. Veda glanced back, lifting her elbows up like a large bird and awkwardly teetering about to face the Titan without disturbing the women's work. She'd had time to examine it, and it personally felt strange. Like that one time Hector forced her to eat chocolate: It was very pleasant to experience, but at the same time very uncomfortably strange.

"Well I think that I never thought I would wear something like this." Veda gave a genuine chuckle, glancing down at the ladies tending to her.

Merry smiled as the young girl looked herself over. She imagined that it might have been like how she felt at that age shopping with her mother, if Merry could remember her. All she did remember was her training and role in the marines, but perhaps that's what the Traveler thought was all she needed when she was reborn in it's Light. She shrugged the thought away, it didn't matter now.

"I found it weird when you said that you didn't have anything to wear other than your armour. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that, tons of Guardians do it." She placed her hands behind her head, shifting into a more relaxed position.

"But wouldn't it be nice to have something to just lay about in that doesn't smell like you've been out in the Wild for three weeks straight? Or to wear when you're out in the City so people don't gawk at you as you walk around?" She leaned back slightly and a soft popping noise emitted from her back as she cracked it. "At least that's how I feel."

The women seemed satisfied with their tweaks, and merrily left the two women to their vices. With the freedom to lower her arms, the young Awoken sighed with relief. Of course, like a regular child might, Veda tested out the dresses ability to splay out, swishing her hips back and forth with a small smile. Realizing that Merry was speaking once more made her immediately blush and revert her attention. Patting down the skirt of the dress, Veda listened carefully and tried to process from the context of the rest of her words to see what she had said. It clicked halfway through, and Veda nodded. The white tresses bobbed and fell in her face, so she pushed them aside.

"You're probably right but... We never really... came here for much. Mostly just stopped by the Tower and do a quick run through the City to get food or something..." The Hunter confessed thinking back to simpler times. A small smile crossed her features in consideration of the pleasant memories, then reviewed what the woman had said. Had people gawked? If they did, she hadn't noticed.

Merry nodded in understanding.

"I think most Guardians are like that, we're fighting against threats everyday out there and sometimes we forget what we're fighting for." She gestured outward around her to emphasize her point. "It's not just a bunch of buildings we're protecting, it's the people in them. And most of those people idolize us. They see us as more than just protectors of Light, but in reality we're just like them. We have lives, and we had lives before we were chosen from the dead. The only difference is that we got Light for power. But it's a big enough difference that there's a divide between us, and in that difference there's fear." Merry checked the time. There was still plenty of daylight left but some of the small shops would be closing soon.

"We should probably get moving. How does the dress feel? Are you happy with it?"

A warm small feeling crept up into Veda's chest, and for the first time in many weeks she felt lighter. Whether the woman knew it or not, her words had touched her much more than anyone could anticipate. Not really a realization, but a reminder that she was indeed a Guardian for a reason, meant a lot to hear. And if the women who were eavesdropping were similar, they too would likely feel the same as she. However, the gap of fear made her thought skid to a near halt before continuing to trickle through her mind. Fear was something she'd imagined all people to experience, even in those baptised by Light. It reminded Veda why she still questioned herself, and her abilities to enact as a representative of the Traveler. Squeezing her hand lightly, the smile stuck to her features and Veda nodded with a grateful expression. It signified much more gratitude than any 'thank you' she could muster.

"Though I'm not sure how the dress is supposed to feel, something tells me it's okay." Glancing at the ladies in the background, they excitedly nodded in agreement. Satisfied with their answer, she smiled to both her superior and the aids, before slipping back into the dressing room. Functioning under crunching time was Veda's specialty, on the other hand, and she was in one minute and out the other.

Merry admired Veda's quickness to change. She waited as the young girl paid for her dress, extending her thanks to the shopkeeps before they both headed back onto the street. Merry let her arms drop to her side.

"Well, I suppose we can head over to Atkins', they got some more casual stuff for clothes. Then how about something to eat afterwards?" She asked. In truth she was starving, but if Veda wanted to extend her wardrobe she wasn't going to let her stomach get in the way.

Glancing between herself and the dress, the young Awoken had lingering fascination with the strange concept, but pushed it off as the cashier regained her attention. As they walked back outside, a sweep of air blew into her face, the soft white tresses slicked back for a moment before she blinked and walked forward, glancing up at her superior. Her face and stature perked up from it's rather distracted start, and nodded. Veda had to consider that this was probably not the place to be spacing out. So nodding with a warm touch of a smile, Veda followed the lead. The walk over was filled with restrained excitement, simply looking around at the unfamiliar area, filling up her time with spectacles. Very few ever paid heed to the Guardians whom roamed the street. However, Veda's rather formal attire with rather distinct appearance drew some eyes and whispers. It brought a bright twinge to her rather unsaturated complexion, as she gripped one arm with her free hand.

Merry had noticed the stares too; their arrival and their attire did stand out a bit, especially since she bore the Titan's officer crest straight up bare on her jacket. She put a comforting hand on Veda's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it too much. They won't bug us. And if they did, they'd immediately regret it." They stopped in front of a somewhat larger shop with two large windows on either side of the door. In each window were mannequins dressed in stylish yet rugged clothing. Above the door read a sign: "Atkins: Clothes to stand against the harsh storm! *Cayde-6 Approved!"

Merry looked up at the sign and smiled.

"Here we are. Aktins makes pretty durable stuff, I hear most of the Hunters cloaks are made of the material he himself makes."

The young woman couldn't help but give a gentle but awkward grin when Merry comforted her. It was embarrassing to say the least that she was so inexperienced, and even more so that her fellow Guardian had picked up on it. Focusing on her hands helped her get away from the blush inducing emotions, before her eyes lit up like a pair of Northern stars. Peering into the window proved to pick her spirits right back up, the Hunter in her eager to get inside. If Veda had been an animal, her ears would have perked up and tail would have wagged. With an ardent gaze Veda turned to Merry.

"Do you think they'd have something for me? Maybe?"

Merry couldn't help but smile. The young girl's excitement and curiosity was a great sign of her recovery. She clasped Veda on the shoulder once more and let out a hearty laugh.

"Of course! There isn't a Guardian I know who Aktin's failed to make them look good! Let's get you rockin' kid." The reassuring news was just the touch to top Veda's enthusiasm, pushing through the doors to be greeted by the outdoorsy type ambiance. The bell above the door rang to announce their presence. The store looked very much like the inside of a log cabin, the hardwood floors scuffed with past footsteps and log braces along the ceiling. The selection of clothing were separated, one the right for women, the left for men. A large desk stood at the back with a door to the back room off on the right.

"Just a moment!" A voice called from the back. A middle aged human woman rounded the door and smiled at the two. "Afternoon ladies, Guardians! What can we do ya for? Are you looking for something to add to your outfit or do you need a new get-up?"

Merry raised her chin to the shopkeep. "Hey Margaret, we're looking to find our girl Veda here a new wardrobe. Think you can help her out?"

Margaret walked out around the desk and came up to Veda, sizing her up and down. She was near two heads taller than the awoken with a build to match Merry. With the look that could kill, she was an intimidating figure. After a few moments of consideration, she smiled.

"Ain't no one me and Hubert couldn't make look good." She pulled out a tape measure and began taking Veda's measurements. "What's your flavor hon? You seem like a turning heads kinda gal that fella's get scared of cuz you'll tear 'em off if they get too close."

While fascinated by the immediately clothing she saw, the Awoken dared not touch it in fear of somehow messing it up. Somehow. Regardless, Veda's excitement was lightly shadowed both figuratively and literally by the giantess' statures. The combination of the two plus the killer demeanor of the shop owner made Veda want to slink back. However, all the girl did was awkwardly stand, her hands fiddling around in her lap as she was examined. It was strange, seeing how often that these clothes providers checked measurements and what not. But her fear kept her from probing out loud. Flushed with the woman's comment which stacked up against her already established flustration. Veda could no longer hide her extremely red face. Flattered but confused, Veda desperately glanced over at Merry with a moving mouth which only managed to get out a few tiny squeaks. Compliments were definitely not her forte. Fallen, Hive, Cabal, Vex; all ten times easier than having to deal with such a comment. The tips of her ears, front of her chest and entirety of her cheeks and nose were tinted firey colors as she tried to regain her composure and answer the question.

"A-ah... I..."

Margaret gave the girl a concerned look. "Well, speak up if you want to be heard darlin'! We're losing daylight ya know."

Merry quickly swooped in to Veda's aid. "Take it easy Margaret, you're scaring her." She placed an arm around the young woman's shoulders and smiled at the shopkeep.

"It's kinda Veda's first time getting an outfit to call her own, you know? She's hadn't had anything like that before."

Margaret stood up to full height and relaxed, a smile back on her face. "Of course. Sorry 'bout that hon, didn't mean to put you on the spot like that."

Veda calmed at the gentle touch of her hero, which was a stark contrast to when they had first met some weeks ago. Back then, she'd have the same adverse and shy reaction she had to this shopkeeper to Merry herself at such an interaction. Hearing and physically seeing the woman lax could only be reflected in Veda who returned a warm smile. Only blushing slighter, Veda nodded and cleared her throat once more.

"Sorry..." Turning to the mirror slightly, the girl raised a brow, a bit confused as to what she actually wanted. What would she even look good in anyways? Turning back toward Margaret, Veda gave an quizzical look and slightly shrugging her shoulders.

"Er, what do you think I'd look good in? I'm not actually sure what I want." Veda revealed honestly, lost in this world of 'fashion'.

Margaret took a long hard look at the young awoken, mulling over a few ideas. She went over to a three mannequins dressed in a variety of outfits.

"Let's start here hon. Always a good idea to start from a base." One mannequin had a black mini skirt with a white tank top and vest, the next wore a simple yellow sundress and hat while the last one had simple blue jeans and a red hoodie with draw strings.

Although Veda was quite indecisive when it came to unfamiliar topics, compromise was key here. She'd hate to admit it, but some part of her wanted to be girly for once. Another part of her wanted to hurry up and pick an outfit so she could go stuff her face. She hadn't eaten since the day before and her lady eloquence was running low. Slight hesitation showed on her face before she reached out to the first mannequin with the skirt.

"This... one... I'm thinking." After a painful pause the young Awoken lightly flushed, "Sorry... I'm not very good at this."

Margaret took off on the suggestion, picking out various clothes and designs that were similar to Veda's choice. Similar, yet each with its own unique taste. She came back to the two Guardians with five or six different outfits and shepherd Veda to the changing rooms.

As the two hurried off, Merry decided to look around to see if she found anything she liked. She came across a red and white jacket with two hammers crossed over each other etched in the back. Trying it on, she felt it was a good fit for her. She took it up to the counter and decided to wait on Veda.

Whilst Veda was hurried off to change, muddled thoughts of worry past through her thoughts. What if casual clothes didn't suit her? The young Awoken was very conscious of the fact that her body was quite peculiar for many Guardians. When comparing herself to her two beautiful idols, she was neither tall nor particularly goddess like. The gaudy outfit she had originally chose made her question as usual, very silently. After trying on a couple of the outfits, she realized that her opinion was too swamped with worry of comparison. In lieu of going in circles, she simply headed out with her first pick. The wine red fabric of her miniskirt flowed softly against the rather pale skin of her thighs; an equally pale denim button up shirt overlapping the black tight tank top. Barefoot, she padded out, glancing at a mannequin and realizing she should roll up the sleeves. However strange a concept to her, it appeared to be 'fashionable'. Mimicking the display, Veda headed back over to the store manager and her companion for a review, one sleeve rolled up and the other being worked on awkwardly.

Margaret and Merry looked over the young woman. To Merry, the outfit fitted Veda pretty well, though it did look more fancy than casual. A sudden flash of Lescha came to mind of her saying that everyone's definition of casual was different. That particular day Lescha had worn a slightly more revealing outfit, citing her desire to attract peoples attention. Merry somewhat reluctantly agreed, because at home Lescha would simply throw on some sweatpants and whatever t-shirt was available.  
'Whatever's appropriate for the moment I guess.' Merry smiled. She looked over at Margaret, but she had already pounced back on suggestions for Veda.

"It looks great hon! But I think we need to find you some shoes that match. I've got tons, but you really only need a couple of pairs, seeing as you Guardians hardly have any real fancy events and travel in your boots all the time. Here, try these heels on and I'll look for a pair of flats for you to try."

Without a moment to pause and finish, she could already pick up on Merry's opinion. Although Veda was already too aware of how kind and tactful the woman was, the human's eyes betrayed her, the immediate doubt in the look from the beginning. The girl glanced down at the attire, her hands picking up the loose fabric of the short skirt, wondering if this was an abnormal choice. Before she could inquire, the woman burst forward and the silver eyes widened. Like a torrent of excitement, she had come and passed, leaving the young Hunter with instructions. After a minute of trying to construct a proper way to put on the heels, she huffed some frustrating strands of hair from her face and planted herself onto a nearby resting area. There, she could probably put them on her feet, her brow furrowing in disdain. Attempting to stand resulted in wobbles and bending ankles as she made her very awkward and clumsy way back to the main area.

"W-woah!" She mumbled to herself, her arms quickly jutting out as a crucifix to regain her balance.

"Traveler, how do people use these death machines!?" The girl exclaimed with both amazement and disgust.

Merry couldn't help but let out a laugh as Veda struggled with the heels. "No idea. I couldn't handle those thing either, but they do sort of go with the dress."

Margaret came back with a pair of fancier flats, a pair of knee high boots and a pair of slip-on's.

"They say beauty is pain." She remarked. "Try the flats hon, they're less of a killer. Some ladies work better with them high heels, how I'll never know."

Veda gladly took off the heels. She couldn't get them off faster. She couldn't imagine why any sane person would wear them, especially if one was expected to fight for the Last city. Regardless, she simply shook her head and sighed in relief when her feet escaped the cage they were subjected to. Slipping on the flats, one pair was fine, while the other was a tad too big. Shopping was becoming exhausting, and Veda threw Merry a pitiful glance.

Merry got the point. She too was beginning to tire of the shops while her stomach protested silently with hunger and decided that dinner was in order.

"Take what you like, you can always come back and try something else." She turned to the shopkeeper who was still occupied with matching shoes to Veda's choice of outfit. "I think we're done here for now Margaret, I'm starved and we should probably get you," She pointed at Veda. "back to sick bay."

The older woman swiveled her head to the Guardians. "Already? And I was just getting warmed up." She set back the items in her arms and walked over to Veda, pulling out a tablet and rang up the clothes Veda wore.

"The total will be 1337 Glimmer. If you want to change back I'll get these all packed for you."

Amicus popped up, grumpily floating over to the woman. Now that Veda had been around these much more experienced Guardians, she'd begun to change. She was now interested in all these 'fashions' and it was a tad overwhelming for the fatherly figure. Especially the skirt. It made her look a tad too womanly for his taste, but he wouldn't retort. He saw her smiling and having fun with Merry, so he couldn't interfere. He made the transfer, and asked Veda if she'd like him to dematerialize them into her inventory.

"Nah, I'll carry it." She concluded. As she glanced down at her skirt adorned outfit, she bit her lip and whispered over to Margaret.

"Do- do you think I could wear this out?

Margaret smiled. "No problem hun. Oh!" She pulled out a computer tablet from her satchel and selected an app that had the Aktins' logo.

"Would you also like our new dressing application for your ghost? We just came up with it with some help from my nephews. We've got our whole line of wardrobe available that you can mix and match on an avatar of yourself to see what you like, then you can order from it and have your clothes delivered straight to ya! You can even request custom designs, although those will take a little longer in order to make them."

She showcased the app's abilities as she spoke, going through each of the motions of customizing, ordering and the entirety of the store's wardrobe. While extensive, it was simple to navigate.

Veda was astonished with how much one could do with such a simple tool. Amicus shuddered slightly at the idea of Veda being able to pick and choose clothes on the dot... Especially by herself. Amicus intervened on his part, gladly adopting the application.

"We really must be going now though." The Ghost chuckled, stealing a glance at Merry. Veda was slowly moving away, still swiping through the app. Eventually she caught on, thanking the shop-keeper as she was practically dragged away.

"Bye! Thank you!" The pale girl called back before the group exited the store. Veda's companion sighed before dematerializing, glad to be out and away from the store. It felt strange for Veda to be so out to show so much leg. She had to wonder if she looked too strange or too pale in something like that.

Margaret waved as they left. "Come again hun! Always a pleasure to help out our Guardians!"  
When they got back out onto the street Merry patted her stomach.

"I'm starved. Want to get something to eat before we head back? I know this great bar and grill we can go to, tends to get kinda loud though. Or we can head to the cafe on the corner there." She nodded down the street. A cafe sign indeed stood over the corner, tables and chairs dotted along the sidewalk patio. "They've got some good grub too."

Veda shrugged with the suggestions, not really knowing what would be better for either of them. She wasn't really one to care what she ate or where she ate it. Anything was better than grabbing food from the Tower. It was a tad too tender and familiar there to enjoy it. Depending on how long things were going to take to settle, she'd imagine she'd be biding her time out in the city, exploring what she'd never had the chance to.

Merry nodded with Veda's sentiment. The City was a wonder to behold, but the day was coming to a close, there would be other times to explore it.

"The cafe's closer. Let's head over, I've heard got really good coffee. And soup!" She tugged Veda along to the small restaurant, stopping only momentarily to window shop a jewellery store on the way down.

Inside was a buzz of conversation from the cafe's patrons, who took no notice of the two Guardians that just walked in. After being greeted by a waitress, they were sat in a booth with comfy cushions bearing floral patterns in a more quiet corner.

"Anything to drink to start you off?" The waitress asked as Merry and Veda sat themselves across from each other.

"Coffee, with cream and sugar." Merry answered.

Veda was enthralled with the hum and vitality of the place, which surprisingly welcomed both with a warm comfort. Veda was all smiles, observing anyone and everything her eyes could scan over. It was almost as though nothing had changed since she last entered the city. Almost.  
Turning her attentions, her soft tendrils bobbed on her head.

"Hmm? OH!" Veda flushed deeply, glancing between Merry and the waitress who looked rather patient with her.

"Um, I'll have whatever she has." The silver Awoken sheepishly replied, her hands naturally winding her fingers together in consolation of herself.

"Two coffees, got it. I'll bring your menus shortly!" The waitress went on her way, leaving the two Guardians alone.

Merry turned to Veda and smiled. "Not a bad day overall, huh? Even if it was only a half day of shopping."

The Awoken internally sighed, glad to see that things worked out despite her spacing mind.  
"I'd have to say so!" The girl smiled, drumming her fingers across the smooth surface of the table.

"Although, I can't say I'm going to enjoy wearing those stilts." The Hunter jested, smiling at the notion and reminiscence.

Merry let out a hearty chuckle.

"Lescha would disagree with you there. Mind you, she knows how to rock 'em."

Veda chuckled at the counter, nodding. From what she'd seen of her hero and model, that seemed to be all too true. She was a magazine model after all!

Leaning back against her seat, Merry looked over the restaurant. The atmosphere of it brought a sense of ease and homeliness, with families and friends discussing their day-to-day events. She looked back at the young awoken.

"Do you mind if I ask you something? Your fireteam, I didn't really know of them until, you know. I was wondering how you all met?"

Just as quickly did the topic change, so did the Hunter's mood. Not completely negative at first, per say, but it wasn't in a positive direction either. The silver skin softened to a rather calm and solemn one, making the young girl look a tad older than she appeared. It was the same face she'd shown Vergil the day she'd met the man.

"We all start at the same scene. A new breathe of air you feel like you haven't felt in a millennia. For me, it was a painful transition. Some have memories, but I didn't. Amicus agreed that considering my young age, I probably didn't want to remember it anyways. " Veda lightened her tone a bit at the last comment, and it only got brighter from there.

"But like most bad things, it didn't last too long. As I was stumbling along, Amicus trying to calm me down from having woken up from what I knew to be death, a duo of Guardians strolled up out of nowhere. Their late companion, Hector," The girl smiled a bit as she reminisced, "Presented himself exactly how he was: non-punctual, silly, and flirtatious.

The first words someone ever spoke to me were: 'What a cutie!'. Abellone stepped in of course, smacking her comrade upside the head for me. Raziel was quiet and observant as per usual. One thing lead to another, Amicus doing a lot of the explaining, and they took me in."

"I wasn't OFFICIALLY", Veda put up air quotes as her elbows rested on the table, "part of the team, but soon was after I was situated at the Tower."

Merry nodded as the young awoken's mind turned back to those beginning days. The shock of being revived and shown the world as it was was not kind, certainly not to herself. But she smiled when Veda began about meeting her family. She felt as if she could identify with Abellone, especially for disciplining Hector for his tardiness.

As Veda told her tale, the waitress returned with a tray of coffee and cups as well as their menus. She poured them both a cup and left, not wanting to interrupt. The menus were digital tablets that you could select your meal from and the order would be placed. A payment option was on the bottom of the screen as well.

Merry picked up her menu. "You were lucky that they found you when they did then. A lot of Guardians are alone when they first wake up. I was, and it was a scariest feeling I ever felt. No civilization in sight, no sense of where you were or how you got there and your Ghost couldn't fill the gaps for you either."

She glanced up and down the menu and chose her meal, selecting the Chicken and Waffles from the breakfast section.

Veda's face crumpled lightly as she explained, nodding softly. Pale fingers wrapped about the mug placed before her, not all that surprised that the heat was just perfect. Not being accustom to the matching of foods to drinks, Veda glanced over the menu and picked one of the first things she saw from the entrees: fish and chips.

"I'm sorry you had to go through something like that. I don't think I could handle what I experienced by myself." The girl chuckled, half-jokingly. The way that Merry had explained it.

"If you don't mind me asking, why is it that your Ghost couldn't explain?" Veda began sputtering slightly as she blushed and tried to correct herself.

"Um... I mean... Uh... I can't really remember your Ghost's name." The Awoken confessed, scratching the side of her head lightly.

Merry chuckled at the questions. "Well, his name is Reggie-"

"Reginald, thank you." The Ghost in question popped into existence between the two, his British accent and black and gray frame instilled a butler type attitude.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Lakshmi. And in regards to your first question, my Titan is displeased with the fact that, despite being created by the Traveler, we Ghosts understand very little of its nature other than its Light. We are the most sophisticated computer system outside of the Exos, yet we do not know how or truly why the Traveller made us in its dying breath. Or why we cannot fully restore the memories of our Guardians."

Merry patted her Ghost with a smile.

"What he said." She replied. "We don't know why we're fighting, other than to protect what remains of humanity. For some, that's enough, but others? Not so much."

Veda watched them both, smiling at the Ghost's introduction. He seemed very taut. But professional nonetheless. It was quite endearing in such a small form, and though she'd be too scared to voice it, Veda found him very adorable in a way. Amicus was agreeing with the Ghost in the young Awoken's mind, quietly encouraging the fellow Ghost to "stick it to 'em!". Merry's final comments allowed Veda to avert her gaze from them, down to her cup. Her grey skin smoothed over the lip of the mug, smearing her lip print. A chuckle arose from her chest as she stared down.

"I don't think that questioning why I do what I do as a Guardian would be very healthy for one's mind." The girl took in a deep sigh and tilted her chin back up to look between the two.

"I mean, questioning our purpose when we were LITERALLY reborn for it, seems detrimental for the psyche."

"Well, that's why Warlocks such as Toland and Osiris went a little mad." Reggie twirled his frame as he floated back over Merry's right shoulder.

"They questioned our enemies, tried to understand them and their powers. Their theories and usage of the enemies power against them deemed them both 'too radical' and so they were banished. Toland ended up dead, and we don't know where Osiris is, only that his followers are still around, testing Guardian's Light in the Trials." He glanced back at Veda.

"Of course, it's thanks to them that we know much more about the Hive and the Vex, so really, asking why our enemies are here and fighting us gives us some insight into what 'we' are to them. Whatever Osiris found out, it was apparently too much for him to stay and fight for the City and the Traveler."

Merry nodded in agreement. "The universe isn't quite black and white Veda, there's a lot of gray areas on both sides. But it's fighting for those good ideals that make it quite a bit brighter."

Such a concept of a shady world wasn't all that hard to understand. Sure, once Veda could look on a separate case like her own situation and think on the bright side; like how the majority of her fireteam's death meant that they catalyzed a possible turning point in the war against the Darkness. But it was so damn hard to see that side at times. Not now. Veda quietly nodded, putting on a soft smile, _EXTREMELY_ grateful for the dishes having arrived. The Awoken's eyes glistened lightly with anticipation coupled with excitement. Once again, her adolescent boy appetite betrayed her more or less feminine features when she began to eat.

Merry thanked the waitress as her dish was set in front of her. She chuckled as Veda had already begun to dig in to her meal.

"Jeez kid, you eat like a Titan." She picked up a piece of chicken and bit into it with a laugh. "Good. It'll make you stronger. So eat up and enjoy!"

The girl paused her malicious eating, flushing at her comment. Smiling shyly, the girl chuckled in unison.

"Hehe... Shorry..." Veda apologized, her mouth full of softened potato and bitten up fried fish.

Merry went slightly somber, then raised her cup in a toast.

"To friends lost, but never forgotten."

After a swallow, the girl went in again, but stopped, almost frozen by the Titan's words. Looking up, she too reached over for her cup and clinked against Merry's.

"For family still with us in our memories... and those by our sides." The Awoken softly corrected on her end, a firm feeling in her throat telling her to quite down and resume eating. Something. _Anything_ , to keep her mouth and mind busy. Quickly, she put on a smile, lowered her cup and once more shoveled in food. Perhaps a bit _too_ eagerly.

Merry nodded to Veda's sentiment. Family. When she was revived, Merry had a hard time trying to find her place among the Guardians. All she could solidly remember was that she was a soldier, a fighter. While that fit the bill for most people she knew, there was something that felt off. Whenever she joined in victory celebrations or other camaraderie with her fellows, a vague sense of disconnection ate at her mind, saying that while these people she fought with and protected were great friends, they weren't _her_ friends, her real family. Even when she joined Dead Orbit, the closest thing the City had to a navy, she didn't feel like she belonged. She kept quiet about it though; whatever it was, it was just a distant memory she couldn't reach, so why bother to worry?  
She looked up at Veda. Perhaps it was because she lost who she was twice over: When she first died, and then revived. And when her fireteam died. That kind of loss stung at Merry for something she never really experienced, truly, when she was brought back from the dead.  
She shook her head from those dreary thoughts. Why sully the mood even more? She decided to change the subject.

"So, have you heard much from Vergil?"

Veda let the silence settle. She was becoming accustom to that: Silence. It happened often enough that what once was awkward was now numbed by normativity down to reverence. Still, she had to appreciate it's breach into better territories. Swallowing a large gulp of her food, she contemplated ordering more considering how fast it had been going. However, she caught a breathe before replying.

"Vergil?" The Awoken repeated softly, taking in a deep breathe and slowly releasing it.

"No... Not for a while. He's been busy with... I'm not really sure but it's definitely SOMETHING!" The pale girl waved her cup up, careful not to spill its contents as she gestured. "... Have you heard anything from anyone?"

Merry shook her head. "The Speaker's quiet, the Vanguard are quiet and we haven't heard anything from Vergil since the strike. Honestly though? I think Vergil's keeping everyone in the dark. That's why no-one's saying anything, 'cause they don't know what's going on."

She slumped back in her seat and took a sip of her coffee.

"I don't know why Vergil chose us for that mission either. I haven't heard or seen anything from him before that." Her brow furrowed, trying to reason out their exo friend's designs. "Maybe it was because we owed him? Bah, I don't know."

The young Awoken empathized with the woman's frustration. Indeed, it really had only been rumors going about after her return to the Tower that were still floating around, slowly dying out like embers. Other than the Speaker coming to see how she was doing that once, she hadn't seen or heard from anyone else. Like Merry said, it had to have been intentional. But for what, only Vergil, the Speaker and possibly the Vanguard knew. The girl picked up the menu once more, ordering a second helping after only 10 minutes with her first, now empty, plate. Not even Amicus understood her appetite and its relationship to her figure (more like, lack thereof).  
"Doesn't it irk you though that he doesn't explain himself? Even with Raziel, we eventually got him to speak to all of us on a deep level. From what I've heard from him and others, he seems to be so old... You'd think he'd loosen up a little." The young Hunter mumbled to herself.

"Vergil's reasons are as enigmatic as himself, there's no point in trying to guess his motives Guardian." Merry looked up to see none other than Ikora Rey, the Warlock Vanguard, standing in front of their booth. It took Merry a moment to recognize her, since she wasn't wearing her robes, but jeans, a purple shirt and an orange scarf with red spectacles.

"Miss Ikora? What are you doing down here in the City?"

The Vanguard put a finger to her lips and smiled. "Even the Vanguard deserve some time off Titan. Just don't let Cayde know that. Do you mind if I join you?"

Merry blinked before awkwardly shuffling over. "Of course, not at all!"

Ikora took her seat next to Merry and poured herself a cup of coffee. She looked up at Veda with a concerned look.

"And how are you holding up Hunter? I trust our medics are treating you well?"

Veda straightened her back, zipping her lips and awkwardly staring down into her cup. They hadn't much interaction, especially considering her low status, very rare visits to the Tower, and being a Hunter.

"Ah! Yes ma'am! Very much so!" Veda chuckled, her silver eyes waving upwards.

"Please, just call me Ikora. No need for formalities here, after all." Ikora took a sip of her coffee. "We're still Guardians, despite our ranks. But it's good to hear you're doing well Veda." She smiled at the young awoken as she spoke, encouraging the both of them to relax. Merry attempted to do so, but it came off as an awkward shuffle in her seat. Ikora continued on.

"From my experience, when it comes to Vergil-11, being secretive is the reason why he's lived so long. Even when I was young, he was ancient. Some in the Tower think he's been around even before the City had begun to take shape and the Titans built it's walls." Ikora paused for another sip.

"But even after all this time, he's still a mystery to whomever comes across him. And it's that frustration of not knowing that makes him many enemies. He always acts like he's many steps ahead of you, and more often than not, he is."

Ikora smirked as she looked down at her cup. "He's just about seen it all, so nothing really surprises him, but he'll do what he can to surprise you."

Veda gave way to a small spot of heated blood in her cheeks, breaking into an awkward smile. The woman certainly lived up to her title as Warlock Vanguard. As she began going on about Vergil, the desaturated Awoken peered over to Merry nervously, realizing how juicy this was and also slightly being infected by the respected Titan as well. Seeing her superior like that, Veda was left alone to defend against her discomfort. But soon enough, the story swept her along, and she rested her chin on the back of her wrists; elbows set up on the table. The waitress came with her second plate, but that didn't mean Veda would break her gaze from the Vanguard as she explained. Amazed, the girl simply slowly shook her head and blinked, thinking it over.

"He's really REALLY old." The Hunter brazenly mumbled. Snapping her head up, for some reason her cheeks caught fire as she released her chin to wave frantically is dismissal. "Uhh..! D-don't tell him I said that!" Veda pleaded.

"Ha! He'd tell you that you better not forget it." Ikora laughed. She paused for a second as she pulled up her ghost. "It's getting late, I'd better head back to the Tower before Cayde and Zavala find out I've been gone." Ikora finished her coffee before standing up.

"If it's any consolation, whatever Vergil is up to, you can count on one thing. It's that it will help not only the City, but humanity as a whole. That's his main motivation Guardians. Goodnight, and I'll see you up in the Tower." The warlock left, heading out into the night that had begun to creep over the City.

Merry turned to Veda. "Well, that was...insightful?" She chuckled. "I think I got more questions than answers." Merry finished her meal and drank the last bit of coffee in her mug before pouring another. "You should finish your supper, we got to get you back soon."

Veda gave a small wave to the dissipating figure, a strange pang pulsing through her heart for a beat. It was a pain she couldn't explain, her not-so-inner child played it off as heartburn. Turning back to Merry, she nodded vigorously, her silver eyes wide with amazement. No-one would have expected her to be out and about like that, even less when it came to their topic of conversation. (There wasn't much conversing, however.)  
"Yeah... I still have some things I need to do before the funeral... Especially with Hector." The Awoken agreed, calling the waitress over for the check and a doggy bag. The girl received a wonderful tip without second thought, and both Guardians planned to retreat to wherever they would stay. For Veda, that meant the Tower med bay. Outside the cafe, Veda could see her foggy white breathe escape her lips as she spoke.  
"I'll have to say good night here then." A reverent pause followed, before she smiled warmly and nodded.  
"Really... thank you. For everything. I needed it more than you might think." Veda chuckled a tad sadly, but then returned the smile.

Merry zipped up her jacket as she stepped out with the young awoken.  
"No problem kiddo, it was my pleasure. Now take care of yourself and I'll see you soon."

Disregarding titles, Veda threw her arms around the tall Titan for a short hug, before waving and running off. The nurse would have a fit for her being out after dark if she didn't hurry, afterall. But she didn't particularly feel motivated to return to the rather lonesome and boring confines of her ward.

Merry nearly jumped back in surprise when Veda hugged her and ran off, almost leaving her wondering what had happened. Smiling at the act, Merry headed back to her apartment.

As she came to her door she pulled out her keys to unlock it, only to find it was already open. Merry rolled her eyes as she opened the door and entered. Taking off and hanging up her jacket, she could hear soft music and humming coming from the living room.

"You know, you should let me know when you're going to come over for the night." She spoke out loud seemingly to no one in particular. The humming stopped and soft padded footsteps came up to the living room entrance.

"Aw, then I wouldn't surprise you." Lescha leaned against the wall, smiling. She was clad in only a bathrobe that parted slightly, revealing herself a bit to leave enough room for the imagination.

"Did you guys have a good time?"

Merry finished taking off her boots and stood up. "Yeah, we did. It was good for the kid to get out and get some fresh air." Lescha giggled.

"Hmm, well you can tell me all about it later. For now, I'll be waiting in bed." She winked and sauntered off, leaving Merry to watch as she did. She bit her lip and sighed before following, turning off the lights for the night.


	7. Chapter 7

Vergil gazed at himself in his bedroom mirror. Today was Abonelle and Raziel's funeral, and he dressed in his best robes, dyed black with silver buttons. Around his neck he wore a oddly elongated violet pendant on a gold chain. He adjusted it with great care, the sun glinting off it's polished surface.  
"It's nearly time." Spark floated around the Warlock. Vergil looked behind his AI companion at his apartment. It was littered with documents, books and other curiosities. Along the west wall was his library shelf which led to a staircase up to his overhanging office. It was there on his desk the artifact only a week and a half ago he recovered with Lescha and Merry. Vergil finished going over his attire and climbed up to retrieve the strange but oh-so-familiar cylinder. As he picked it up and handed to Spark for storage, he stopped to take his sword which leaned against the desk.  
He sighed. Over the past few days he had struggled with the new information he had learned and how he would to explain it to Veda. The young girl had been through so much already, how would she react to the news that the reason they were burying her friends today may have been his fault?  
"If you're going to let her be a part of this, she deserves to know the truth." Spark's words stung his Guardian before he finally picked up the sheathed blade and attach it to his waist.  
"Yes, but will she understand...?"  
"This isn't your fault Vergil, no one knew or could anticipate what would happened."  
"But it's exactly what he wanted to happen. And we have to play his game, alone or not." Vergil walked out of his apartment, locking it behind him.  
"This time, I won't be so generous with his life." Vergil checked himself over one last time. "Everything is ready?"  
"The meeting is scheduled for after the funeral, everyone will gather in the archives." Spark nodded, bobbing up and down. The pair headed for the Tower, an uneasy walk for them both.

Cool covers did little to soothe turmoil that morning. Despite her utmost intention to make effort, the young Awoken found little to no enthusiasm to leave her bed. She'd flipped over once... twice... At this point it was six times. It wasn't until Amicus materialized that her silver eyes finally creaked open. Veda had worked hard at not crying for the past few weeks. The touchy topic had grown almost habitually from brazen Guardians whom she assumed meant no harm. A couple days before the funeral, Veda had never felt more lonely.  
Hector... had refused to see her when she came to visit last. And it wasn't even he who'd turned her away... It was his nurse. As a fellow Guardian and younger sister figure at the least, she'd expected him to need her there... He had no Ghost to comfort his pain... So why? Was he ashamed? It felt selfish to feel so lonely and discouraged, but she was only but a child to the world... Not entirely in control of her internal emotions.  
Eventually, the nurse came in to help the girl get ready, even having other Guardians teach her how to properly fix her dress and makeup. What was rather easy was her hair, which required minimal brushing and some hairspray. The pale figure sat silently, a blank expression reflecting in the ward mirror as a female Warlock spruced up her hair and another Hunter brought up her heels. The male hunter was an exo, but unlike Vergil, was very saucy and openly gay... His fabulous behavior may have tickled her fancy at some point... But it was not that day. After they finished, her voice cleared before she gave them a whisper of thanks; leaving her to her thoughts, Veda sat before the mirror for around half an hour, pondering.  
"Am I interrupting something?" A familiar voice called. Veda swiveled around, standing up and wobbling slightly in the heels. Hector was being wheeled in, dressed in a formal tux and glossy black shoes to match. The attire had been altered to account for his missing arm, and his burn wounds leading up to his jaw had healed nicely. All the Awoken could see was her brother; a smile lost from his face, like everyone else had been. The Awoken had practiced twice in the shoes, and this time her step was more stable, if not confident. She took the handles of the wheelchair from his nurse and began exiting her room, a stinging and tight feeling in her throat.  
"... It's good to see you Hector..." Veda managed. The man just reached up with his good hand, and lightly squeezed her pale slender one, which had grown cold since exiting her room.

Lescha and Merry made their own ways to the Tower for the funeral. They arrived at the same time catching each other in front of the memorial for fallen guardians. Lescha wore a simple, sleeveless long black dress, while Merry adorned an officer's uniform and cap. It was a similar style to the old North American Empire's uniform (rather what Merry remembered of it) but now it was decorated with emblems of the Titans and the City.  
Lescha looked her friend up and down. "You look good."  
Merry smiled and looked at her feet. "Um, thanks. You do too." Lescha returned the smile and hugged Merry. Breaking apart, Lescha's look turned sturn.  
"Did you get Vergil's message?"  
"I did, he's got a real flair for the dramatic doesn't he?"  
Lescha shrugged. "I'd say it's more about timing, but yeah, you could say that."  
"At least he's going to let us in on what's going on." Merry sighed. She looked over Lescha's shoulder and spotted Veda and Hector arriving.  
"They're here." Lescha turned around seeing the pair as Veda wheeled Hector over to them.

Hector waved to the pair, both of them adopting a very warm smile. But unlike before, it was strictly polite and the warmth was fabricated from nearly nothing.  
"Good to see you lovely ladies~" Hector crooned, his lips turning up in what appeared to be flirtatious behavior. Veda widened her smile to indicate amusement as she normally would, clearing her throat as she turned her attention back to the pair.  
"Hector's right, you both look extremely lovely today." It was in these times that the Veda who sought shelter in a crumbling old building; who's diction was soft and rather cordial, returned. Otherwise, her normal, curious and childish self might have returned. Now that the young Awoken was in heels, it was much easier to look at her fellow Guardians who's height was less drastically different to hers. But keeping eye contact had never been harder. Glossy garnet-red lips tightened while she looked behind the pair. They'd been talking and hugging, which looked quite comforting... A strike of envy flooded through her as she glanced down at Hector. For someone who couldn't seem to shut up the entire time she'd known him, the silence was harrowing.  
Without a word exchanged otherwise, Veda continued wheeling her brother, giving a nod to the girls in case they didn't follow immediately. They had to be there ahead of time to ensure everything had been set up as Amicus had intended.

The two women thanked them both, but exchanged glances after Veda strode past them, wheeling Hector away into the memorial. They could tell something was wrong, but silently agreed not to bring it up, at least not now.  
They followed Veda up and entered the building.

The Memorial was a long hall with lined columns of marble. Banners marking great battles and points of history hung between them; The Battle of Six Fronts, the Luna Massacre and Twilight Gap, to name a few. On the walls behind the pillars and banners were digital displays of the names of every Guardian who fell in battle or were in some way lost. At the end of the hall stood a large plaque of the Vanguard emblem, with more displays of names on either side.  
Thousands of names dotted the wall, all dating back to the beginning of the City. Today, Abellone's and Raziel's would be added.

The once curious and observant silver eyes had hardened to a steel, almost blank stare. Heading towards the end of the hall, Veda took note of the audience which had already gathered. Many Guardians were in casual dark clothes; others remained in their armor, carefully tidied as much as one could with scuffed metal. Hector too was peering around, although significantly more than Veda. Hector was much more akin to putting up facades than his younger sister Guardian. He gave faint smiles and winked at female Guardians. While some returned the smiles or blushed at the flirtatious behavior, many deepened a scowl. How could such a person exist, that would survive such atrocities and still disrespect their fallen brothers?  
Veda knew that was exactly the opposite of what he was doing... It was him making sure that if Abellone and Raziel were watching, they'd be comforted by his normal actions. The young Awoken knew all too well that smiling was the best thing that either could do to revere their fallen family.  
Eventually, Veda stopped by the end, gazing up at the mural of names, flickering ever so slightly. The excitement of choosing her attire was lost at this point, although there were some from the crowd who couldn't help but gaze upon the pair. Hector had always been seen as handsome... But the girl was just a child until now. Now, she was tall and slender, her figure revealed in a vulnerable time to show she was growing up... in one of the harshest ways

It was in this moment that Vergil had finally arrived. As he entered the hall he stopped in the doorway, looking towards the end where Veda and Hector stood.  
He almost didn't recognize Veda from behind in her dress. She was beautiful, but the look on her face when she turned to Merry and Lescha as they joined her made his head bow low to look at the ground, just for a moment. He raised his chin up and walked down to his friends.  
He decided not to alert them to his presence, instead he walked up to them to stand right behind Veda. He looked up at the wall of names as Spark appeared next to him and let out an audible sigh.  
"There are more names then there were last time I was here. I wish we didn't have to put anymore." He placed a hand on Veda's shoulder, in attempt to comfort her, but what comfort could he give to someone who had to say goodbye to their family for the last time?

The familiar crisp sound of Spark's unique voice indicated to Veda that Vergil was behind the silent group. Hector had glanced back at the Exo and up toward Veda. The glances taken between them neared what Amicus thought to recognize as a frown, but returned to his playful, cheery look too soon to analyze further. As the metallic hand brushed her soft warm skin, the Awoken flinched, her eyes slightly widening with the familiar weight of the hand. Much like when they first met, his consolation urged her to release her tears. But alas, having already shed tears for their deaths once was enough. Too much, if you asked her. Veda bowed her head slightly in recognition, but pulled her shoulder forward just slightly enough to signify her distaste. Vergil was correct. There was no comfort to be given. This ritual for revering the dead and their life was a necessary evil for those who were left to suffer in their wake. Famous figures gathered in the room, as was customary; but the intentions behind their arrival had perhaps swayed with the significance of the rumors which had spread like a legendary wildfire.  
A particular trait to Veda's once smooth skin had arisen, and indicated her recovery. Several large gashes cross-hatching her back, almost like whip markings. They were the sign of multiple attacks from Stealth Vandal. Any seasoned Guardian would recognize such marks, and Hector was not an exception. The glorified titles too recognized this mark, and were convinced even further to attend the memorial. Obviously, only a select few were chosen to attend the actual funeral; the few being the remaining family and any guests they wished to invite. Despite her instincts wishing to reach out and seek shelter in her heroes like Merry, Lescha, and Vergil, her mind fervently refuted.

Vergil released the young awoken's shoulder as she pulled away. Though the gesture was minimal, it was a booming sound that if Vergil had not seen or felt before, it would have been devastating. But he was much older and wiser now. He understood such actions, caused by that fresh wound of grief and sometimes they were best left alone.  
Instead he turned to her brother, who looked much better than when Vergil found him.  
"Hector, yes?" Vergil stepped forward to face him, kneeling down to meet Hector's eyes and extended his hand.  
"We've met, but haven't been formally introduced; I am Vergil-11, I along with Merry and Lescha," Vergil nodded at the pair. "brought you and your family home."

Much like Amicus and Veda, Hector had a pride to him. Although, he was much more implicit about it than his family would expect him to be. As the comic relief of the quartet, he had a duty to be mindful of his serious composure. But now, his pride was confused: he wanted to grin at the sight of Veda pulling away from Vergil's grip. Of course, that was his little sister; he did not enjoy seeing her be touched without knowing the person or their intentions... Something he easily could tell if he'd had proper conversation with them. But Vergil... he had not.  
His rescue had been a blur really. All he'd remembered was having been slightly conscious... But that was all there was. There was no real awareness... or at least, not enough to remember. Seeing the exo's face, however... Was almost nostalgic, even beyond the time of his salvage. Meeting the bright lights of the Warlock's eyes, the human blinked, before raising his arm; the fabric rustling in retort.  
"That's me!" He exclaimed with a grin. As the exo gestured toward the pair, Hector's eyes were once again graced, with positive memories of the two.  
"Ah yes, I'm acquainted with Miss Merry and Miss Lescha." Hector purred, a sultry smile creeping up. His act seemed nearly as natural as usual. Anyone who hadn't known him for as long as Veda wouldn't be able to tell the difference.  
"However, on a serious note," Hector solemnly shook the exo's hand; his voice falling to a whisper, " I... I am extremely grateful. And though Veda might not say so yet, she is as well..." A smile returned as he spoke. "But I assume you already knew that much."

Lescha had let out a small giggle while Merry turned away slightly, though a smile and a slight blush could be seen as Hector looked over to them. Vergil couldn't help but smile at the man's antics, though he could see through all their masks; pride, shame and other secrets...all these things he didn't need his light to see past the coyness of others. However, it wasn't his place to reveal, and he only judged them by their true actions, made in the heat of the moment. Everyone here had proven themselves in Vergil's eyes, whether in battle or otherwise. Hector was willing to sacrifice himself to save Veda and nearly did so. That showed his quality.  
Vergil returned his attention to the wounded warlock before him and bowed his head in respect and thanks.  
"Of course." He returned in whisper. He stood up, straightening his cloak and adjusted the blade sheathed on his right flank. "My only regret is that we did not get there sooner, but I am glad to see you both are recovering well."

"Veda more than I, though I hate to admit it." The man chuckled glancing over at the Awoken. It would have made the whole team proud to see her standing so tall. Hector's only regret now was that she had to grow this way... and had no support from the other two. But she seemed to be getting along better than he'd hoped. Then again, no-one had informed him of her breakdown from weeks before. No-one could even tell with such steely eyes and perfectly applied make up. Not even a smudged wing of her eyeliner (A miracle, really). But Veda's cold exterior was masking an anxious interior. The memorial was met by so many other Guardians, who'd come to give condolences to bother herself, Hector and to pay respect. It was strange having, to put frankly, _strangers_ simply come up to her.

Vergil turned to the sound of the double oak doors off to the right opening. A dozen Guardians walked in, half Titans, half Hunters, carrying their respective fellows caskets.  
"We are about to begin, I suggest we take our places." Vergil motioned to the others, moving away from the stage.  
The carriers brought their burdens to take place on the stage, setting them upon the pestles to rest before moving off to either side the stage, Titans on the left, Hunters the right.  
The Vanguard entered next, taking the stage on the left while the Speaker arrived last, taking place in front between the two caskets.

The Speaker's blank slate of a face was both a blessing and a curse for both parties: himself, and everyone else. The blessing being that for the Speaker himself, emotions can be masked... but that same blessing became a curse to those around him, as they couldn't read if he expressed true sorrow. Things quickly settled down as they entered, all Guardians standing tall, a few of the humans in the crowd raising their hands to salute their fallen brother and sister.  
The Speaker quietly tilted his head up, clearing his throat rather silently.  
"Today is a special day. It is a day of honor and reverence; it is a solemn day. Today we must recognize an unfortunate fact of life: our beloved City was formed and is protected by the blood of warriors. As unfortunate as this is we can be thankful, because over the years Guardians have answered the call every time our future has been threatened. We gather in order to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for us, and to pay them homage for a bravery, strength, and wisdom only known to these Guardians. I'd like to share a rather ancient script from days long forgotten, which still stand relevant in times such as these," The Speaker cleared his throat and paused as though recalling it.  
" ' We ought to cherish tenderly the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes.' ... While we may not necessarily be a country, this is indeed what we ought to do today." Veda could feel her chest tighten as his speech went on. For a moment, she could have sworn that he'd slightly glanced over at Hector and herself.  
"We may wonder how we can thank our fallen heroes, whom we can no longer thank by word of mouth. I am here to say that there is a way to give gratitude to each man and woman who has died for our fight; Making this country something worth dying for is the ultimate service we can do for them. We each can redeem their sacrifices through our fight. As long as we bear this in mind and act upon it we are honoring our fallen heroes, but if we as a whole do not show gratitude for their sacrifices, their memory fades. We must recognize that two of these heroes have given the last full measure for us. Let us not commit the injustice of taking their sacrifices for granted. None of the fallen Guardians you see on this board behind me _wanted_ to die for us, but to protect us. But if these things must happen, let them happen in the name of something befitting of such a noble and heroic act."  
In the crowd, teary eyes and choked up sniffles were beginning to be heard, as those who'd previously lost their brothers, sisters, or lovers recalled their respective beloved Guardians. Hector had bowed his head, his fingers crossing and hands resting on the back of his neck. Occasionally, a drop or two would _plip_ onto the stone floor. Veda continued to look onward, not even as much as a twitch in her cold exterior.  
"I'd like to call the close friends and family of these Guardians to come here if they so choose." The man addressed Veda and Hector with a nod of his head. Veda glanced at Hector, who waved his hand dismissively at his Awoken sister. Veda nodded at him and the Speaker, before making her way up to the stand. After a pause of silence, Veda took in a deep staggered breathe.  
"Thank you, Speaker." The pale girl began, before turning forward, "And thank you, who've come to celebrate and remember my sister and brother's lives. I am not... strong with my words, like the Speaker is with his. And I hope you'll pardon me, as I perform something instead." Veda concluded for a moment, before standing up straighter and taking in a deep breathe. She'd prepped the song for weeks now.  
 _"In this world you tried  
Not leaving me alone behind-  
There's no other way  
I'll pray to the gods: let them stay_

 _The memories ease the pain inside  
Now I know why_

 _All of my memories  
Keep you near  
In silent moments  
Imagine you'd be here  
All of my memories  
Keep you near  
The silent whispers, silent tears_

 _Made me promise I'd try  
To find my way back in this life  
I hope there is away  
To give me a sign you're okay  
Reminds me again  
It's worth it all  
So I can go home_

 _Together in all these memories  
I see your smiles  
All the memories I hold dear  
Darling you know I'll love you till the end of time..."_Midway through the ballad, Veda's tears were no longer barricaded, and her voice cracked once or twice. The strength and tone became more emotional near it's end, and Hector had raised his head to listen in pure awe. He'd heard her sing twice before, and knew well that she could sing. But this song... his tears grew as he remembered them listening to it when they'd stopped by the City, and a store they passed by was having a small memorial. Abellone had jokingly asked for Veda to sing that song when she died, and of course they'd agreed with plenty of teasing of her being an old geezer. No-one would fathom it'd come true.

Vergil, Merry and Lescha stood in awe as Veda began to sing. Lescha had been trying to hold back her tears, but lost her composure, hanging her head while curling her hands into tight fists. Merry held her head high, trying to stare forward at nothing, yet a single year fell from her cheek. She stepped forward to place a hand of comfort on Hector's shoulder, offering her strength to him.  
Vergil remained expressionless, though that was something he couldn't quite control. He bowed his head, closing his eyes. He heard this song before, a long time ago. He quietly began humming along with the tune halfway through, almost singing along by the end. When Veda had finished, he looked up at her, staring into her eyes and smiled. He began to clap for her, and an applause followed suite, in honour of her and her fallen.

The group gathered close to each other as the Speaker and Vanguard continued the procession. Lescha uncurled her fists and wiped her tears away, looking up with a sad smile on her face. After Veda and Hector separated she went up to Veda and pulled her into yet another hug.  
"That was beautiful." She whispered into Veda's ear. Lescha pulled away, hands on the younger awoken's shoulders. "Your voice is amazing Veda!"  
Vergil nodded in agreement, playing with the pendant around his neck.  
"I haven't heard that song in a long time, you would've made your family proud with your rendition."

Veda made an exemplary attempt at a smile, her vision blurred with unwanted tears. Returning the hug with equal strength, Veda nodded and quietly thanked her Awoken hero. Normally, she'd be giddy for such a grace as a compliment from her, but today was beyond roles of heroes and fanatics. With Vergil's words, Veda was equally grateful... but not as expressive about it. Rather than offering a similar hug, she bowed her head and gave a polite smile. Indefinitely, there was some other turmoil going on, but neither Hector nor Amicus could place it... regardless of their tight connections to her. Sighing with a gentle smile, Veda tilted her back towards the pair.  
"Thank you... really. I... I'm confident in speaking for both Hector and myself that I am eternally grateful you've come." Those silver orbs flicked back toward the ground before she hastily lifted a hand to smear away a few tears.

Merry gave a comforting smile, giving Hector a comforting grip on his shoulder before she too gave Veda a hug.  
"Anyone would have done the same in our position." She insisted.  
Spark looked over Vergil. His guardian continued to stare and fiddle with his necklace. It was a tell that Vergil was uncomfortable. He didn't like to linger at funerals too long. It reminded the Exo of what he himself had lost over the many years. All of what happened the past couple of weeks dug up too many memories, rekindled emotions that had laid dormant for too long.  
Spark returned his attention to the procession in progress. After the Vanguard and some others had spoken (including Lord Shaax), the Speaker stepped back to the podium to finish.  
"We thank you all for coming to remember those lost. Now it is time to lay them to their final rest. With heavy hearts we shall lay them, but with renewed strength and steeled minds we shall remember them and honour them with our own sacrifice to protect this City that we hold dear, so that we can greet them again when our times come with our own tales of remembrance." The Titans and Hunters stood up and took their former places to lift the caskets. Behind them, a door in the memorial wall opened to reveal a passageway. Beyond it was where Guardians were given their final rest, a cylinder catacomb lined with the fallen heroes of the City.  
Vergil turned to Veda and Hector. There was sadness in his eyes, but his voice did not waver as he spoke.  
"Now is your last chance. Go to them, and say your final farewell. Take as much time as you need, but afterwards, meet me in the Grimoire Archives. There is much work to do, and we have little time." He placed a hand on Veda's shoulder, looking her straight in the eye. "If you wish to avenge your family, I have prepared for what you will need." He didn't intend for it to sound the way it did, but there was no other real way to put it. He bowed and left, his cloak changing from formal black to crimson, his armour forming over him as he walked out of the memorial, Spark following close behind.  
Merry and Lescha looked at each other, not knowing how to respond with what just happened.

Hector gave a flirtatious, red-eyed smile to the woman who comforted him. Despite his efforts to look nonchalant, having Veda go from looking so tall and strong to shedding tears and coming to him for comfort like she did in the old days, quickly overruled such efforts. Still, he had some dignity left to retain, and he sure as hell wasn't gonna let that go to waste. So being as dashing as he would be on a regular day, Hector sat comfortably in his chair, waving with his good hand in a dismissive gesture, telling her thanks but that he would be fine.  
Amicus had not materialized since he'd tried earlier that day. When he did, Veda flinched and curled her fingers into her palm which sat in her lap. The reaction was what he assumed to be her fear... the feeling of distance from one's Ghost was like the feeling of security and assurance was slipping further and further away. One could compare it to a child who refused to submit their stuffed animal or security blanket, for a matter of faith and dependence on it during dark times. And for a Ghost who'd dedicated his life to ensuring that safety and aid, nothing could hurt him more than seeing her in such a state. Quietly, he was attending and watching everything going on through Veda, and it was substantially irritating for him to see Vergil address her in such a... cold manner. Even if he was dealing with something... He had made attempts to be courteous and reverent, but to bring something like that up during a funeral... Amicus' circuitry might have fried from overheating at some point.  
Yet Vergil was not the only one at fault there. In the midst of the awkward interaction, Veda had returned an equally 'cold' response, bowing her head with a solemn expression in acceptance. Rather than be upset with him at the moment, her professionalism shone through... upsetting Hector for a while. A needy part of Veda died the same time their team did... and now he missed it. He missed being relied on... He wanted her to go back to when she was curious about the stars and inquired about the way the warm sands danced on Mars; he wanted to see her eyes sparkle or her lips pout in frustration, or her cheeks and ears turn red in fury. Something. Anything.  
Without another word being exchanged between the Exo and the Hunter, the silver eyed girl turned to her pair of heroes.  
"Lescha. Merry..." Veda began, this time giving a genuine, but extremely sad smile, "Promise me you won't leave me behind too... yeah?" Hugging the two, Veda closed her eyes to assure their warmth, before releasing them and wiping her face with the back of her hand. Turning to Hector, she grabbed the handles to his wheelchair and turned him toward the hall where they would say their final farewell, leaving the rest of the guests to return to their duties.

The two older guardians smiled as Veda hugged them both.  
"Count on it." Merry mustered out.  
"And don't mind Vergil, he just gets a little over-dramatic at times." Lescha squeezed Veda a little harder in her hug before letting go.  
"We'll wait here until you're ready, okay?"

Hearing such comforting words and Merry's struggle to speak lead to the sensation of swallowing broken glass. Pushing down the sensation to end up in gross, messy sobs, Veda nodded solemnly, biting the inside of her cheek to force a smile. Hector gave a wave and sighed softly as they turned to enter.  
The catacomb entrance greeted them with a tall, rounded arch adorned with scripts or messages of languages long forgotten by those who had not studied them. Veda guessed that a Warlock like Vergil could explain to her later what they meant, so she memorized the message she best knew how to read: PRO NOSTRA LABEFACTATA FRATRES. Silver and stone paved the path down this rather lengthy hall. As the Awoken's curiosity hopelessly returned, she noticed that these first hall of catacombs was much more significant than she would have realized. The names plated beneath each resting place told her just how important this hall was. Of the ones she read while walking by, included: Eriana-3, Sai Mota, and Vell Tarlowe. Humbled by it's magnitude, Veda whispered small, nearly silent words of gratitude and wishes for peace eternal. Eventually, the largest room approached with looming, what looked to be endless walls of catacombs and stairs. Looking on either end, Veda chose to go forward, and took a right at the end of bridge. A corridor of walls and tombs lead Hector and Veda through, each of them reading the names to see if any they recognized. Amicus finally materialized, not daring to glance at either.  
"Last two on the left. Their plaques have already been installed." And with that, the little Ghost whisked back away, Veda stiffening slightly. Following the little machine's instructions, both brother and sister faced a wall with two recently marked tombs. Their faces looked nearly the same: solemn, nearly blank, yet dark. Shadows on either's expression aged them horrifically, Veda especially. Hector was the first to move after a the long silent minutes had ticked away. Sitting forward in his chair, he brushed his fingers against the plates and bowed his head, breaking the silence with large, echoing sobs. The silence of the dead only amplified his cries in the large catacombs. Veda felt a large gasp of air exit her lungs as though she'd been punched when he did. It meant it was okay. It meant that she was given permission to join in the sorrow; to stop being strong for everyone else... including Hector. Kneeling beside Hector, Veda gave a deep bow, her forehead touching the floor whilst tears dripped down her forehead and nose. Anyone even remotely close to the entrance could hear the pair of their voices; their wails weaving tales of their family and it's end. As it came to a suffocating silence because of an exhaustion of tears or voice, brother and sister let out a staggered, unified breath. Veda sat up on her knees, and gently grabbed Hector's hand.  
"It's real..." Veda admitted finally, hard work of makeup ruined in minutes. Hector nodded, swallowing a large lump in his throat.  
"Yup... Much _too_ real if you ask me..." Hector let out a nasally chuckle, putting on a smile. Veda smiled as well, huffing and shaking her head with sad laugh. Sharing that moment was vital to restoring what left of family they were, reminding them that good days could be ahead if only they'd let it be so.  
"Want to say anything?" Veda suggested, after the storm had calmed. Hector shook his head with a wily smile.  
"Nah... You know she'd make fun of us if we did, right? We just..." Hector began, sighing as he tilted his head downward, "We just gotta keep 'em close. Like always." Veda could not concur with anything as strongly as she had then, a smile crossing rather tired features. Eventually, they had to retrace their steps, back out into the main hall, past the podium and to the girls. Little did they know, a good hour and a half had passed; Give or take a few minutes. Approaching the women, Hector stretched out his arm (and stub), yawning terribly.  
"Traveler! I have a mighty fine need for a drink! What about you two?" Hector confessed, a twinkle to his eye. Veda rolled hers in the midst cleaning up her smeared eye makeup.

"Oh gods yes, I could so use a drink right now." Lescha brushed her hand along the shaved part of her head as she smiled and winked. Merry nodded, letting out a chuckle.  
"I'm down, but we gotta see what's got Vergil in a twist first."  
Lescha made a face, but accepted her fate.  
"Fine. Who knows? Maybe he'll have drinks for us!" She laughed.

Still sour with Vergil for the time-being for unknown reasons, Veda furrowed her brow for a moment, before sighing and nodding her head, wheeling Hector alongside the two fellow women. Finally, she was about as tall as either, though Lescha's heels didn't help her case either.  
"I'm not taking the risk of him not having any there. Mind taking Hector for a bit while I go borrow some?" Veda sighed, glancing at the two girls with a tired smile.

Lescha grinned.  
"Sure! We'll keep him occupied." Merry rolled her eyes but nodded.  
"You know where the archives are right? Apparently so few people ever go there that hardly anyone knows it actually exists. I'll give the directions to Amicus, and we'll meet you on the way there."

The Awoken was caught off guard by the question, and chuckled nervously with a hint of a blush as she thanked her. Unfortunately, spending so little time in the Tower restrained to a ward room made her a tad... ignorant to the layout of the Guardian's base of operations. Sad, really.  
"Remind me later to take a look around more, Amicus," Veda sighed, her heart a tad tired from all the duress of the day. Walking around the Tower in a dress didn't help her mind either, as it caught many's attention; the reason mostly being because of the simple being of a Guardian without armor on. Others... not so much. Amicus materialized and accompanied her to ensure that other Guardians wouldn't mistake her for a civilian. Eventually, Veda had to stop and ask a fellow Hunter where she could find a drink. Gesturing towards the Gunsmith, a small group of New Monarchy folks were seen crashing by the hall entrance, probably drinking due to stress. Veda approached cautiously.  
"Erm... Do you think I could possibly ask where you got that?" The group glanced at her and examined her clothes; some furrowed their brow, others looking intrigued, and a few were more than simply intrigued. Smiling dopily, they simply handed her the rest of what appeared to be a wine bottle.  
"There ya go lass," The drunkard smiled happily, his friends patting his back. Veda thanked them politely, and hurried away. That went much more smoothly than she was actually expecting... hopefully it wouldn't come back to bite her in the ass. Amicus floated in front of her, giving her a wary look with his one eye.  
"You sure... you want to drink? You... You're not very good at it." Amicus confessed. It was true. The girl became rather irrational and was quite the lightweight at that.  
Veda gave a challenging glare in response, tipping her head back and taking a large swig. After about 4 times doing so along her way to the Archive, eventually she stumbled into the room, a guilty Ghost trailing behind. Sighing deeply, he managed to push Veda down into a seat and dematerialized the bottle while she hiccuped softly, putting her hand up to her mouth to stop herself.

"Excuse me, miss?"  
An exo woman had walked up behind Amicus to stand in front of Veda. Her faceplate was the colour of sand and she bore a black stripe that ran down the middle of her face, her eyes burned an sunset orange. She wore black warlock robes that was decorated with a jeweled necklace that went over and around her shoulders. Around her forearms were wrapped bandages and a pauldron in a shape similar to a scarab beetle covered her left shoulder.  
"Are you two Veda and Amicus? Vergil told me to expect you, though I don't think he was expecting you in your current... state."  
The woman loomed over the pair like a school teacher over a misbehaved student. A look of discontent was etched across her face  
"And you will certainly not be taking that into my archives." She pointed to the bottle of wine now hanging loosly in Veda's hand.

Not recognizing the figure before her, Veda blinked in confusion. But as soon as she started speaking, the hiccuping ceased, and she uncovered her mouth. Taking in a deep breathe and nodding very slowly, she looked to Amicus to send him a few thoughts.  
"Ah, yes..." Amicus began, before turning to the Exo.  
"Veda would first like to apologize, for her... erm... predicament..." Amicus looked a tad flustered, trying to make out what his Guardian was trying to say. Veda quietly nodded along with what he was saying, the hiccups returning as her hand went back up to her lips, and her shoulders shook with it.  
"She... also would like to apologize for her breathe...? And completely agrees with your terms..." Amicus seemed to conclude as Veda slowly sat back up, and stood, her stability in question as she did. Her little Ghost dematerialized the bottle, and Veda bowed to the Exo, her drunken state actually very quiet but still strange.

The woman sighed and walked over to a large oak desk. The room Veda had stumbled in was not the actual archives, but rather the foyer. The pure white walls and hardwood floors glowed warm in the sun from the window, the last bit of the sunset peaking over the mountains that sheltered the City.  
Behind the desk was the door to the Grimoire Archives, heavy steel etched with the Vanguard crest that went straight to the ceiling, nine feet up. They were built as if to keep any unwanted guests out, as well as to the secrets behind them from escaping.  
The female warlock leaned over the desk and grabbed a granola bar and a bottle of water. She brought them over to Veda and offered them to her.  
"Here, eat and drink these. You're going to want to sober up a bit before meeting with the rest of the group."

Veda could be seen in a rather glazed-over stare at the scenery outside the window. Sunsets were always to beautiful from the Tower... Perhaps it was her romantic side, but the way the City seemed to shimmer and dance with lights as the sun sunk behind the mountains seemed like God was promising to see them tomorrow. But those thoughts were dwindling these days, especially now. Perhaps it was the alcohol. Turning to the Exo groggily, Veda hiccuped and politely nodded, before gratefully taking both. That snack was finished fairly quickly, seeing as the girl was famished. Nerves from preparation for the funeral had made her forget to eat, as well as exhausted in multiple ways.  
"Th-" Veda's words halted by a large hiccup, before she continued to slur, "Thaank 'ou..." The Awoken sounded out, smiling a tad dopily. Soon enough, without permission and against Amicus' advice, the Hunter had curled up on her seat and fell into a deep sleep.

"Uhhh, okay. Didn't expect that." The warlock knelt down and put a hand on Veda's shoulder and gently shook her. To no avail, of course. The girl was right out cold. The exo sighed as she picked Veda up in her arms.  
"Right, Spark might have a fit about this but I know Vergil will understand if he has to postpone their meeting for tomorrow. Hang on."  
She called up her ghost and opened a private channel.  
"Vergil? It's Rhea. Yeah she's here but she's drunk herself to sleep, can we move this until the morning? Well from what you lot said it sounds like she needs to rest so... Spark don't get your frame in a twist! Bloody hell, be grateful I'm letting you use my Archives at all! Yes, I understand time is of the essence but what good will she be if she's too tired to stand up for an good hour? Thank you Vergil. Yes, I can wait for the nice young man, send him and the girls up. Very good, good night."  
Closing the channel, she turned to Amicus.  
"Sorry about that, we'll get her to bed. Vergil is thankfully very understanding of your situation. Traveller knows how many times he's been your shoes, you'd think he'd be numb to it. But he still surprises me sometimes."  
The doors behind them opened wide as Lescha and Merry rolled Hector through. Rhea moved her head around to see them.  
"Right on time. Did he give you any trouble?" Lescha shook her head.  
"No, and that's what worries me. I mean, I don't know Vergil _that_ well, but I've never seen him like this. I don't like the look on his face." Rhea gave a sympathetic smile.  
"That's because he's _scared_. He never shows when he's scared and if he does well..." She trailed off with a shrug of her shoulders.  
"It means we should be very scared." Merry picked up as she stepped forward to take Veda from Rhea.  
"But it doesn't mean we should show him that we're scared. If anything, Vergil needs us now more than ever to be strong, for him." She hefted Veda in her arms with relative ease.  
"We'll take care of her, will you be here tomorrow then?"  
"Vergil specifically asked for my expertise, so bet your glimmer I will." Merry nodded with a smile before turning to Lescha and Hector.  
"We can take her to my apartment, she can sleep in the guest bed. Or does she still need to stay at the hospital?"

In Merry's arms, she curled up comfortably, most like the child she was famous for being. Hector had only seen Veda drunk twice before, but each time was still as funny as the last. This one was far more cute, and he'd hoped, for the sake of her dignity, she'd stay that way. Hector glanced at the two of them.  
"I would bring her back with me, but I doubt the nurse would say she needs to stay... Would it be much trouble for you?" The human inquired, raising a brow and puckering his lips in curiosity.

"Not at all. I've handled Lescha when she's had too much, Veda will be a walk in the park." Lescha opened her mouth to retort, but shut it and gave her friend a sneering pout.  
"Well Hector, it's getting late and I should probably take you back to your room, but maybe we can grab a drink on the way." Now it was Merry's turn to squint at Lescha, but she just shrugged her shoulders.  
"Whatever. Vergil said we had to be back early in the morning so don't go too crazy." She adjusted her grip on Veda and headed out.  
"And when I say early, I mean crack of dawn early, 7 am at the latest!" She called over her shoulder. "You know how old people are!"  
"That's so we can get stuff done!" Rhea chimed in. Merry laughed and bid goodnight to her friends, taking Veda to finally get some well deserved rest.


End file.
